Local elections are taking place across England on Thursday 2 May.
Local government elections (parish, district, borough, county borough and unitary authorities) will take place in every region of England, apart from Greater London. There are also local authority mayoral elections in Bedford, Copeland, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough, and a combined authority mayoral election in North of Tyne.
Local authority elections are also taking place in Northern Ireland.
To see if there are elections in your area, use the postcode search on the Your Vote Matters website, run by the Electoral Commission.
The deadline to register to vote is Friday 12 April.
You can register to vote using the online form, which usually takes about 5 minutes, or you can download and complete a paper application form and return it to your Electoral Registration Office.
Once you are registered to vote, you can apply to vote by post (deadline Monday 15 April), apply to vote by proxy (deadline Wednesday 24 April), or visit your local polling station between 7am and 10pm on polling day (Thursday 2 May).
Different tiers of local government are responsible for delivering different public services. Check to see what elections are taking place in your local area to see what services your councillors are responsible for delivering. The table below provides an overview of the types of local authorities and their responsibilities.
Remember, local authorities have extensive powers that can impact on every aspect of your life from, housing and fly-tipping to business rates and where you can walk or work your dog. Register to vote and make your voice heard.
Unitaries |
County Councils |
District Councils |
Metropolitan Districts |
|
Education |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Highways |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Transport Planning |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Passenger Transport |
✓ |
✓ |
||
Social Care |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Housing |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Libraries |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Leisure and Recreation |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Environmental Health |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Waste Collection |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Waste disposal |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Planning Applications |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Strategic Planning |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
|
Local Tax Collection |
✓ |
✓ |
✓ |
Source: Local Government Information Unit
For more information contact [email protected]