Voters across the country will be heading to the polls on May 4 to vote in 2023's local elections.
Leeds is one of the local authorities with seats up for grabs at the elections, with a third of council seats being contested this time. Results are expected throughout Friday, May 5.
The council is currently under Labour control, and has been since 2011. These elections are significant in that they are the first to require voters to show photo ID at the polls.
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Here's everything you need to know ahead of the elections on Thursday.
All the seats up for election
As stated, Leeds City Council is currently under Labour control. There are 99 seats on the whole council - Labour currently hold 56.
The Conservatives hold 21, the Liberal Democrats seven, the Morley Borough Independents six, the Greens four, the Garforth and Swillington Independents three and the Social Democratic Party holds one seat. There is also currently one vacant seat.
33 of these seats are being contested on Thursday - those seats and the parties of their incumbent councillors are as follows:
- Adel & Wharfedale (Conservative)
- Alwoodley (Conservative)
- Ardsley & Robin Hood (Labour)
- Armley (Green)
- Beeston & Holbeck (Labour)
- Bramley & Stanningley (Labour)
- Burmantofts & Richmond Hill (Labour)
- Calverley & Farsley (Labour)
- Chapel Allerton (Labour)
- Cross Gates & Whinmoor (Labour)
- Farnley & Wortley (Green)
- Garforth & Swillington (Garforth & Swillington Independents)
- Gipton & Harehills (Labour)
- Guiseley & Rawdon (Conservative)
- Harewood (Conservative)
- Headingley & Hyde Park (Vacant)
- Horsforth (Conservative)
- Hunslet & Riverside (Labour)
- Killingbeck & Seacroft (Labour)
- Kippax & Methley (Labour)
- Kirkstall (Labour)
- Little London & Woodhouse (Labour)
- Middleton Park (Labour)
- Moortown (Labour)
- Morley North (Morley Borough Independents)
- Morley South (Morley Borough Independents)
- Otley & Yeadon (Liberal Democrats)
- Pudsey (Conservative)
- Rothwell (Liberal Democrats)
- Roundhay (Labour)
- Temple Newsam (Labour)
- Weetwood (Liberal Democrats)
- Wetherby (Conservative)
That means Labour are defending 17 seats, the Conservatives are defending seven and the Liberal Democrats are defending three. The Greens and the Morley Borough Independents are defending two seats each and the Garforth and Swillington Independents are defending one.
How and where to vote
Polls are open on Thursday, May 4 from 7am until 10pm. You will need to have registered to vote in advance, and crucially, you will need to bring a form of photo ID with you to the polling station.
Acceptable forms of photo ID include, among others:
- Passport
- Driving licence
- Voter authority certificate
- Biometric immigration document
- Blue Badge
You can find your closest local polling station by visiting the 'Where Do I Vote?' website here.
You do not need ID to vote by post. The deadline to apply for a postal vote has already passed if you had not already done so.
If you complete your postal vote too late to send it back by post - you can hand it in on the day at a polling station. You can also have someone else vote for you by proxy on the day if you can't get to the polls - though the deadline for this has also already passed.
When will we have the results?
Counting of votes will begin in Leeds at the First Direct Arena from 10am on Friday, May 5. If all goes smoothly, all the results should be in by approximately 5pm.
Some local authorities will begin counting ballots overnight, so other councils will have results much earlier. LeedsLive will be at the election counts and publishing the results live throughout the day.
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