London: Voters in England began casting their ballots Thursday morning to elect more than 1,600 councilors for 23 local authorities as well as two local and four combined authority mayors. This marks the first set of local polls since the July 2024 general election, which saw the Labour Party return to power.

According to Anadolu Agency, the elections are taking place across 14 county councils, including Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, and Worcestershire. Additionally, eight unitary authorities-Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Durham, North Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Shropshire, West Northamptonshire, and Wiltshire-are also involved in the voting process. Furthermore, one metropolitan council, Doncaster, is holding its elections.

The elections will also determine two local authority mayors and four combined authority mayors for regions such as Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Greater Lincolnshire, Hull and East Yorkshire, and the West of England. In addition, voters in Runcorn and Helsby are electing a new member of parliament in a by-election after the resignation of Labour MP Mike Amesbury.

Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland are not conducting any elections at this time. Currently, more than half of the seats across the local authorities are held by the main opposition Conservative Party, which is predicted to face significant losses. The election serves as the first significant test for Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party following their landslide victory in last year's general election. Political analysts also anticipate that Reform UK, the Liberal Democrats, and the Greens may gain ground at the expense of both the ruling and main opposition parties.