Thousands of voters have headed to the polls today to cast their ballots in the local elections, with the first results expected imminently.
Polling stations have shut their doors at 10pm, after which the counting will get under way. A total of 136 local authorities across England have held elections today, with six areas choosing a new local mayor. Votes have also been cast in Scotland and Wales.
Vote counting is set to take place from Thursday night, with local authorities declaring their winners at different times throughout Friday and Saturday.
While a handful of local councils will begin counting as soon as the polls close, declaring their winners in the early hours of Friday morning, others will wait until Friday morning or even Saturday to get started.
The local elections could carry significant consequences for the major political parties, coming at a pivotal moment for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, who has endured a turbulent start in office following his victory in the 2024 general election.
Brits will be keen to discover who emerges triumphant, with several contests pointing to a shift in leadership.
Unlike a general election, there is no exit poll for local elections. This means the picture will remain unclear until the votes begin to be counted and the first results are announced.
Exit polls are gathered through interviews conducted with voters as they leave polling stations, providing predicted outcomes the moment voting concludes.
In the UK, however, they are exclusively used during general elections, when MPs are elected to the House of Commons. They tend to be remarkably reliable at indicating whether a majority government or a hung parliament will emerge.
During local elections, voters must wait for the actual results to discover how the political landscape has shifted following the contests. Local elections typically attract considerably lower turnout, rarely exceeding 40 per cent, which makes them far more difficult to forecast.
The opening wave of results from the 2026 local elections is expected to be declared shortly after midnight once polling stations close. Broxbourne in Hertfordshire and Halton in the North West are anticipated to be among the first councils to announce their outcomes.
The final results this year are expected to be from Tower Hamlets at around 6pm on Saturday, May 9.