The next local government and mayoral elections in England will be on Thursday 5 May 2016.
Local government elections are taking place across England.
Mayoral elections are taking place in:
- Bristol
- Liverpool
- Salford
This does not include Greater London Authority elections and the election for London Mayor.
Find information on elections taking place in London
Register to vote
The deadline to register to vote for elections on Thursday 5 May has now passed.
If you are not sure whether you are registered to vote, you should contact your local elections office. They will be able to let you know.
To find the contact details for your local electoral registration office, enter your postcode in the Your local area section of our homepage.
Who can vote?
To vote in local government and mayoral elections in England you must be:
- 18 years of age or over on polling day
- a British citizen, a qualifying Commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of the European Union
- resident in the UK
- not be subject to any legal incapacity to vote
What do local councils do?
Councils are responsible for providing local services and facilities.
Your elected representatives, or councillors, also represent you at a local level – this is known as local government.
There are 388 local councils in England and about 20,000 councillors.
All local councils in England have a mayor.
For more information on your local council and mayor, visit your local authority website. You can find it by entering your postcode in the 'Your local area' section.
How do I vote?
Local government elections
Local government elections use the first-past-the-post system.
Depending on where you live you will be able to vote for between one and three candidates. You should just mark a cross (X) against each candidate you want to vote for.
Mayoral elections
Mayoral elections use the supplementary vote system.
Your ballot paper will have two columns. You can vote for a first and second choice of who you want to win.
Find out more about how these voting systems work
Who is standing for election in my area?
Local authorities publish names of candidates who are standing in an election around three weeks before polling day. To find the contact details for your local electoral registration office, enter your postcode in the Your local area section of our homepage.
