Local elections (Image: Getty)
Voters across England, Scotland and Wales have been to the polls in the most explosive local elections in years – and now the results are about to come flooding in.
Counts begin overnight in battleground councils where Reform UK and the Greens hope to smash Labour and the Tories, with the first declarations expected from 1am.
From Westminster to Wandsworth, Birmingham to Bexley, the political map of Britain could be redrawn by the time polls close. Below is the Daily Express’s full guide to when each key council will declare its result.
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When are the results declared on Friday?
Morning
01:00 – The battleground council of Harlow is expected to announce its results. It will be an early indicator if Reform is squeezing the Tories in this Essex heartland.
02:00 – Ballots are finally counted in Hartlepool, Lincoln, Bolton, Salford and Wigan. All of these areas are key tests for Reform, who expect to make major gains. Lib Dems will be eyeballing Colchester and Hart to see if they can stave off the Tories and a glut of independent candidates.
03:00 – The first of the all-out races comes in, that’s areas where the entire local council is up for election. Westminster should be announced, in what will be a nail-biting night for the Tories, who are hoping to take back control of this once ‘crown jewel’ council.
04:00 – Labour will have all eyes on Plymouth, a bellwether authority that is getting squeezed by Reform and the Greens. We should also see Richmond upon Thames and Sutton, Lib Dem turf, announcing.
05:00 – The big battlegrounds in London start to announce, with Bexley, Reform’s top target in the city, declaring. We should also see Hammersmith and Fulham, and Kensington and Chelsea, checking in. Merton, a borough the Lib Dems are keen on, also declares.
06:00 – Havering and Wandsworth are up next. The former is a place Reform is predicted to storm, and after that, Wandsworth – once a flagship for Thatcherism – should announce soon after.
Afternoon
Lunchtime – Scotland and Wales results will start flooding in as we begin to see a clearer picture of who is set to come out on top in the devolved administrations.
13:00 – The Greens will have their eyes peeled for the results in Hackney and Newham, who are electing both a council and a mayor. Zack Polanski’s party hopes to take both. Up in Manchester they are hoping to make gains, with a third of the seats up for election.
14:00 – Essex, a key target of Reform, starts to announce, and should give us a clear indication as to whether or not the party really will replace the Conservatives.
15:00 – Lewisham, Waltham Forest and Islington should start to announce a real test for Labour if the Green ‘wave’ has really hit them.
16:00 – Croydon and Hillingdon up next, areas the Tories are duking it out with Labour and Reform.
17:00 – Reform starts to see if they have won Norfolk, and the greens face the same test in Haringay and Hackney. Barnet Borough is also up, a place the Tories have been ewing.
18:00 – And finally, Birmingham. After months and months of bin strikes and a council teething on collapse, have voters shaken off Labour and voted for something new?
