Local elections 2025 live: Millions go to polls across the country in major test for Labour, Reform and Tories

In her final message to voters, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: “If you want a great council, don’t just hope for it, vote for it.

“Vote Conservative because Conservative councils deliver better services for lower taxes across the board.”

Here are the scenes as polling stations open across the country:

When polls close in England at 10pm on Thursday, most councils will not begin counting the results of the local and mayoral elections until the following day – though a handful of key declarations are due overnight.

At 10pm, counting will begin in the Runcorn & Helsby by-election and in four of the six mayoral contests: Doncaster, Greater Lincolnshire, North Tyneside and West of England.

Four of the 23 local authorities holding elections will also start counting at 10pm: Hertfordshire, Lincolnshire, Northumberland and Staffordshire.

Only one, Northumberland, is due to report all its results overnight; the other three will announce some results overnight, with the rest of the seats being declared later on Friday.

Read this hour-by-hour guide of what to expect:

In a final message to voters ahead of the polls opening at 7am, Labour Party chair Ellie Reeves insisted the government’s plan was “already starting to deliver”.

She said: “As voters head to the polls today, there’s a clear choice between Labour with a plan for change to deliver the security working people deserve and renewal for our country, or more of the same chaos voters rejected last year with the Tories and Reform.”

Here is a map showing the areas in which people are heading to the polls today:

Voters heading to the polls today will need to bring a form of ID in order to cast their ballots – and will already need to have registered to vote.

There are more than 20 types of photographic ID which are valid, such as passports, driving licences, older and disabled persons’ bus passes, armed forces veteran cards, and Oyster 60+ cards.

More than half of seats across the 23 local authorities are currently held by the Conservatives.

As of 31 March, the Tories held 954 of the 1,736 seats – or 55 per cent – according to analysis by the PA news agency.

Labour held 295 (17 per cent), the Liberal Democrats held 222 (13 per cent), Independents held 173 (10 per cent), the Greens held 42 (2 per cent) and Reform held 23 (1 per cent). Other parties held 16 seat and 11 seats were vacant.

The polls have officially opened, with voters set to cast their ballots in crunch local elections.

The contests mark the first major electoral test for political parties since Labour’s general election victory in July 2024.

The areas where elections that had been due in May will be postponed are listed below:

Of the 23 local authorities holding elections, 14 are county councils: Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

Polls are also taking place in eight unitary authorities: Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Durham, North Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Shropshire, West Northamptonshire and Wiltshire.

In addition, one metropolitan council, Doncaster, is holding an election.

A key test for all parties will be in the six mayoral contests for the West of England, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, North Tyneside, Doncaster, Greater Lincolnshire, and Hull and East Yorkshire.