The upcoming local elections on May 2nd will see 2,660 council seats contested across 107 areas, with the Labour and Conservative parties each defending nearly 1,000 seats. The results will provide indicators of the parties’ national standing ahead of the next general election, although local politicians are expected to focus their campaigns on neighborhood issues such as potholes, housing, and bins.
Conservative candidates face a challenging situation in this year’s council elections in England, with national opinion polls indicating they are at risk of losing many seats and councils they currently hold. An analysis of the parties’ recent performance suggests that councils where control could be at risk include Adur in West Sussex, Basildon in Essex, Gloucester, and North East Lincolnshire.
Labour’s poor performance in 2021 has also provided an opportunity to gain seats and councils, particularly where the Conservatives are their main opponents. Potential gains for Labour include Redditch in Worcestershire, Milton Keynes, Hartlepool, and Harlow in Essex. In many places, Labour will also be looking ahead to the next general election and targeting key constituencies in places such as Bury in Greater Manchester, Crawley in West Sussex, Stevenage in Hertfordshire, and Swindon in Wiltshire.
The Liberal Democrats are also looking to perform well in these local elections, hoping to pick up seats in councils they already hold, such as Woking and Mole Valley in Surrey. They are also targeting councils currently hung in Elmbridge in Surrey, Wokingham in Berkshire, and West Oxfordshire. Portsmouth and Stockport are also places where the Liberal Democrats are within striking distance of a majority.
Finally, the Green Party has been making gains in English councils for years and won overall majority in Mid Suffolk last year. Although it will be hard for them to gain control of another council outright, they start as the largest party in Bristol and the second largest in a number of councils including Norwich, Reigate & Banstead in Surrey, Solihull in the West Midlands, and Worcester.
While many local election results will be announced overnight into May 3rd, the process is expected to continue throughout the day and into the weekend.
The above is a summary of the original article, which can be found here: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-56691622
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