Thursday May 4 sees one of the biggest English local elections in recent memory.
These are huge contests, covering 237 councils, of which 151 are holding all-out elections, with every seat up for grabs. In the other 86, one-third of the seats are being fought. A total of 8,000 seats are up for grabs across nearly 5,000 wards.
The battles represent the biggest verdict on the Conservative government this side of the looming general election, which must be held before the end of January 2025 and is realistically to take place next year.
