Estimated declaration times for May 1 local and mayoral elections

Here is an updated list of estimated declaration times for the local council elections taking place on Thursday May 1.

Voters in 23 local authorities in England will go to polling stations between 7am and 10pm to choose their new councillors in the first big test at the ballot box for political parties since Labour won the general election in July 2024.

A total of 1,641 council seats across the 23 authorities are up for grabs, and Reform is standing 1,631 candidates, according to PA news agency analysis of nominations data, more than either Labour or the Conservatives.

The Conservatives have 1,596 candidates (97.3% of seats) while Labour has 1,543 (94.0%), while further behind are the Liberal Democrats, with 1,396 candidates (85.1%), and the Greens, with 1,183 (72.1%).

There are also contests for six mayors in England, and the first by-election of this Parliament, for Runcorn & Helsby, after the resignation of the previous MP Mike Amesbury.

The estimated declaration times are based on information compiled by the PA news agency and all are approximate and can be affected by issues such as delays in verifying and counting ballots, or by recounts, as well as turnout.

The Runcorn & Helsby estimated declaration time is 3am on Friday May 2, with the first council result expected a few hours later in Northumberland, the only local authority intending to count all votes overnight.

The list is organised chronologically, and all timings relate to Friday May 2.

– 7am Northumberland

– 1pm Durham

– 1.45pm Lancashire

– 3pm Buckinghamshire, Doncaster, Leicestershire

– 4pm Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire

– 4.30pm Derbyshire

– 5pm Lincolnshire, North Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire

– 6pm Cambridgeshire, Cornwall, Devon, Wiltshire

– 7pm Kent, West Northamptonshire

Four of the six mayoral elections are counting overnight, with the results of the other two expected on Friday afternoon.

– 2am North Tyneside, West of England

– 3.30am Greater Lincolnshire

– 5am Doncaster

– 2.30pm Hull & East Yorkshire

– 3pm Cambridgeshire & Peterborough