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Voters in various regions of England are preparing to cast their ballots in local and mayoral elections scheduled for Thursday.
On May 1st, elections will occur across 24 of England’s 317 councils and involve six mayoral authorities.
A by-election will also take place in Runcorn and Helsby, determining the new Member of Parliament for that Cheshire constituency.
Polling stations will open their doors at 07:00 BST and will remain open until 22:00 on Thursday, with results expected to be released throughout the night and into Friday.
This election marks the first significant polling event since Labour’s decisive win in the previous year’s general election.
Approximately 1,650 seats are up for grabs across 14 county councils, eight unitary authorities, one metropolitan district, and in the Isles of Scilly.
The mayoral elections will be held in regions including the West of England, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Doncaster, North Tyneside, and for the first time, in Hull and East Yorkshire, as well as Greater Lincolnshire.
The by-election in Runcorn and Helsby was initiated by the resignation of former Labour MP Mike Amesbury, who stepped down following his conviction for assaulting a constituent.
Initially, elections were planned for all 21 county councils across England; however, the government decided to delay elections in nine areas undergoing local authority reorganisation.
The counties where elections will proceed include Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire.
Further elections are slated for the unitary authorities of Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Durham, North Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Shropshire, West Northamptonshire, and Wiltshire, along with Doncaster Metropolitan Council and the Isles of Scilly, which operates with a distinct governance model.
Most results are anticipated to be available by Friday evening.
No local elections are scheduled for Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland this time.
Voters opting to cast their votes in person will be required to present photo ID, with over 20 accepted forms including passports, driving licenses, and, starting May 1st, Armed Forces Veteran Cards.
The BBC has released comprehensive election guidelines detailing their coverage strategy for polling day.
Similar to other media outlets, the BBC is prohibited from reporting on campaign activities or local election matters on polling day until voting ends at 22:00.
Source
www.bbc.com