Wirral Council faces a knife-edge set of local elections which could lead to major changes in how the borough is run.
Wirral's election will be the most tightly contested in our region. Labour is the largest party, but is well short of a majority. On a bad night for the party, it could lose its leadership of the council.
On the other hand, if the ‘Partygate’ scandal hits the Tories in the vote, Labour could hope to make big strides towards regaining its majority. There are big battles to look out for in Birkenhead and Seacombe, where the Greens are looking to move through some of Labour’s heartlands.
Pensby and Thingwall is the classic swing seat in the borough, with Labour and the Tories battling it out for a ward which could be key to deciding who takes charge of the council. Local elections are a chance for voters to cast their verdict on their local council, but they are often also used by voters to express anger about national issues and Wirral could be something of a bellwether for how things go across the country.
Voting will take place between 7am and 10pm today (Thursday), with counting taking place through the night at the Bidston Tennis Centre. We will be live from the count and bringing you all the action as it happens.
All the Wirral Council results will appear on our live election tool below as they are confirmed.
