English voters cast ballots in council, mayoral elections | Breaking News & Latest Ireland Updates

English voters cast ballots in council, mayoral elections — London Correspondent Voters in England are casting their ballots in a number of local and mayoral elections as Labour faces its first electoral test s...

London Correspondent

Voters in England are casting their ballots in a number of local and mayoral elections as Labour faces its first electoral test since taking power last year.

The polls opened at 7am and are due to close at 10pm.

A by-election is also being held in north-west England, following the resignation of Labour MP Mike Amesbury earlier this year, after he was jailed for punching a constituent.

Some opinion polls indicate that the Reform UK party, led by Nigel Farage, is the most popular party in England and is set to make significant gains.

Altogether, there are 23 council elections this year in England, the majority of which are currently led by Conservatives.

There are also six mayoralties being contested in the West of England, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, North Tyneside, Doncaster, Greater Lincolnshire, Hull and East Yorkshire.

Reform UK is hoping to win the Runcorn and Helsby by-election in north-west England which is traditionally seen as a safe Labour seat.

A test of electorate's mood

While local elections are often not a reliable indicator of what may happen in a general election, they will offer some insight into the mood of voters.

Unlike in Ireland, not all local authorities have elections at the same time.

Patrick English, director of political analytics at YouGov, believes that the UK is seeing the emergence of "five party politics", as both the Labour Party and Conservative Party have seen a significant drop off in support.

Meanwhile, Reform UK, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party have all seen their support levels rise.

Mr English said: "Labour having won that huge landslide in 2024 have seen a significant drop-off in their support, in our current polling they're around 22/23%.

"Reform UK have seen a huge up-tick in their polling, around 10 points, so they're challenging really for that first party spot along with the third party, Conservatives, who haven't gone anywhere since that dreadful 2024 result for them."

These elections will be seen as the first electoral test for Keir Starmer as Prime Minister but also for Kemi Badenoch as leader of the opposition.

Back in 2021, when these local elections were last held, the Conservatives, led by Boris Johnson, were leading opinion polls.

Ms Badenoch has warned that her party is now set to suffer heavy losses.

Reform UK is hoping to win hundreds of council seats, a number of mayoral seats and the Runcorn and Helsby by-election.

National issues dominating local politics

A recent poll by More in Common has indicated that issues such as potholes, council tax and affordable housing are the top three local issues for voters.

However, many people casting their ballots will also be voting with national issues on their minds.

In the town of Dover, a part of Kent County Council, many people identify immigration as a major issue.

Already this year, there have been over 10,000 small boat arrivals.

Sally Vokes, who lives locally, explains that while she likes many of the policies of the Green Party, she intends to vote for Reform UK due to issue of illegal immigration.

Ms Vokes said she does not believe the town has the infrastructure to cater for people arriving.

"The Green Party don't seem to be bringing anything across in terms of the immigrants and I know it sounds awful, I don't even like saying it to be fair, but it is what it is," she said.

Councillor Trevor Bartlett is the leader of the Conservative's on Dover District Council.

Members of the district council are not standing for election this year, but Mr Bartlett has been campaigning with some of his colleagues seeking election to Kent Council Council.

He said that along with potholes, illegal immigration is a topic that is often raised on the doorsteps despite Kent County Council having no powers to tackle the issue.

"I know a lot of the people down in Dover town have a very big concern about the immigration numbers but it is immensely frustrating that we physically can't do anything," he said.

Kent County Council is currently led by the Conservative Party, however some believe that Reform UK is in contention to overtake it as the largest party.

Paul King is a first-time candidate for Reform UK.

He acknowledged immigration is not an issue that the local authority can tackle, but he believes that gains for the party would send an important signal.

"We're on a journey towards 2029 when Nigel [Farage] is going to be in Number 10," he said, noting the UK's next scheduled general election.

"Part of that is success at the locals," he added.