Local elections 2025: Hour-by-hour guide to results

When polls close in England at 10pm on May 1, 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.

A total of 1,641 council seats are up for grabs across 23 local authorities, while four regional mayors and two local mayors will be elected.

A parliamentary by-election is also taking place to choose a new MP for the constituency of Runcorn & Helsby.

Here the PA news agency looks at when to expect the results and what they could mean for the political parties.

All declaration times are estimates.

Polling stations close.

Counting begins in the Runcorn & Helsby by-election and in four of the six mayoral contests: Doncaster, Greater Lincolnshire, North Tyneside and West of England.

Only one of the 23 local authorities holding elections, Northumberland, is due to count and declare overnight.

Results are due around this time for two of the mayoral contests.

North Tyneside is one of Labour’s north-east heartlands and the party’s candidate Karen Clark is favourite to win, though a low turnout may mean the result is closer than expected.

The West of England mayor could be a tight race between Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens; Labour’s chances may be affected by the current mayor, Dan Norris, being suspended from the party after he was arrested on suspicion of sexual offences.

Counting should be over in the Runcorn & Helsby by-election, which was triggered by the resignation of the previous MP Mike Amesbury after he was given a suspended prison sentence for punching a man in a street in Frodsham, Cheshire.

Mr Amesbury won the seat for Labour at the 2024 general election with a majority of 14,696 – one of the 50 largest majorities achieved by Sir Keir Starmer’s party – and took 53% of the vote, with Reform in second place on 18%, followed by the Conservatives (16%), the Greens (6%) and the Liberal Democrats (5%).

The result this time is expected to be much closer, with Reform hoping to pull off a shock win.

Greater Lincolnshire is one of two new mayoral positions being contested for the first time and is likely to be a two-horse race between the Conservatives and Reform.

The Tories have picked the leader of North Lincolnshire council Rob Waltham, while the Reform candidate is former Tory MP Dame Andrea Jenkyns.

The result of the Doncaster mayoral election is due, with Labour’s Ros Jones hoping for a fourth term in office.

A full set of council results should be in for Northumberland, which is currently run by a Conservative minority administration.

Labour is the main opposition and will hope to improve its standing, though Reform and independent candidates could also make gains, ensuring the council remains in no overall control.

Counting will begin around this time for the remaining two mayoral contests in Cambridgeshire & Peterborough and Hull & East Yorkshire, along with 22 of the 23 local authorities.

The full result is due from Durham, where Labour is currently the largest party but does not have a majority and has been shut out of power for the past four years by a multi-party coalition that includes the Tories, the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and various independents.

Labour will hope to regain full control, but is facing an added challenge this time from Reform.

The Tories could see their tiny majority vanish in Lancashire, where Labour, Reform and independent candidates are all hoping to make advances.

The result is due for the new Hull & East Yorkshire mayor.

The Conservatives, Labour and Lib Dems all enjoy support in different parts of this region, while Reform has picked the former boxer and Olympic medallist Luke Campbell as its candidate.

The pace begins to pick up with three councils due to finish declaring.

Doncaster is the only local authority Labour is defending at these elections, but the party faces a big threat from Reform, which is treating the council as a top target.

The Tories are likely to see their numbers cut in both Buckinghamshire and Leicestershire, but could well remain the largest party on both councils.

The result is also due for the Cambridgeshire & Peterborough mayor, which was won by Labour’s Nik Johnson in 2021 but he is not standing this time, and where both the Tories and Lib Dems fancy their chances.

The losses could start to mount for the Conservatives.

The Lib Dems are hoping to replace the Tories as the largest party in Gloucestershire and Hertfordshire and could make major gains on both councils.

In Shropshire the Conservatives may lose power thanks to a challenge from the Lib Dems, Labour and smaller parties, though they could hang on in Staffordshire where they have a large majority.

Labour did well in the county of Derbyshire at the general election and is hoping to pick up seats on the council this year.

With the Lib Dems and Reform also eyeing gains, the Tories may lose overall control.

A string of results could bring more gloom for the Conservatives.

Reform is threatening to eat into the Tories’ large presence in Lincolnshire and North Northamptonshire, while the Conservatives’ tiny majority in Nottinghamshire is likely to evaporate in the face of challenges from Reform, Labour and local independents.

The Lib Dems hope to chip away at the Tory numbers in Warwickshire and do well enough in Oxfordshire to take majority control.

In Worcestershire, the story could be one of multiple parties gaining at the Conservatives’ expense, particularly the Greens and Reform.

More Tory losses may come in Cornwall, where the party has minority control of the council but faces twin threats from the Liberal Democrats and independents.

The Lib Dems are also hoping to wipe out the Conservatives’ majority in Devon and make gains at the Tories’ expense in Wiltshire.

In Cambridgeshire, the Lib Dems are currently the largest party but do not have a majority and will be keen to improve their position.

The final results are due from Kent and West Northamptonshire: two councils where the Tories currently have a majority but where they face challenges from more than one party.

Reform and Labour are hoping to advance in both areas, while Kent could see gains for the Lib Dems, Greens and independent candidates.