Deadline approaches to register to vote

It comes with local and mayoral elections taking place next month in England

Time is running out to register to vote in the local and mayoral elections taking place in England on May 1.

Anyone not yet registered, or who is not sure if they are eligible to vote, has until 11.59pm on Friday to submit an application.

This can be done online at gov.uk/registertovote.

Some 1,641 council seats in England are up for grabs on May 1 across 23 local authorities.

Elections are also taking place for four regional mayors and two local mayors, while voters in the constituency of Runcorn & Helsby will choose a new MP.

No scheduled elections are taking place in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.

It is nonetheless the first big test at the ballot box for political parties since Labour won the general election in July 2024.

Local and mayoral contests can reflect voters’ attitudes about neighbourhood concerns, such as when bins are collected, the state of parks and pavements, or access to libraries and hospitals.

But they can also be a verdict on how parties and leaders are handling national issues – which this year could mean the NHS, the cost of living, or even foreign affairs such as the tariffs introduced by US president Donald Trump and the conflicts in Ukraine or the Middle East.

The elections are the first of their kind since Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister and since Kemi Badenoch took over as Conservative leader.

An average of 16,775 applications to register vote were made per day in the week to April 8, up from 14,941 the previous week and 12,530 a fortnight ago, Government figures show.

Some 20,303 applications were submitted on April 7, the highest for a single day so far this year.

Niki Nixon, director of communications at the Electoral Commission, said: “Tomorrow is the last day to register to vote ahead of the upcoming local elections on May 1.

“You need to be registered before the deadline at midnight on Friday so you can have your say.

“If your details have changed or you’ve moved home since the general election last year, you’ll need to register again.

“It only takes five minutes, and you can do it online at gov.uk/register-to-vote.

“And if you want to vote by post or by appointing a proxy to vote on your behalf, you’ll need to apply before the deadlines next week – but you must be registered to vote first.”

Of the 23 local authorities holding elections on May 1, 14 are county councils: Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

The others are the unitary authorities of Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, Durham, North Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Shropshire, West Northamptonshire and Wiltshire, plus Doncaster metropolitan council.

Every seat on all 23 authorities is up for grabs, but boundary changes mean some areas will be electing fewer councillors than before.

Four combined-authority mayors are being elected on May 1, for Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, Greater Lincolnshire, Hull & East Yorkshire and the West of England, along with two single-authority mayors in Doncaster and North Tyneside.

The by-election in Runcorn & Helsby was triggered by the resignation of the previous MP Mike Amesbury after he was given a suspended prison sentence for punching a man in a street in Frodsham, Cheshire in October 2024.

Mr Amesbury won the seat for Labour at the 2024 general election but was suspended by the party after footage emerged of the punch, and spent the last few months sitting as an independent MP.

All voters intending to cast a ballot in the elections on May 1 will not only need to be registered but also show a form of photo identification at the polling station.

Not all types of photo ID will be accepted, but a passport, driving licence or blue badge are valid.

Anyone without the correct identification will need to apply for a voter authority certificate by 5pm on April 23, which can be done online at gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate.

On election day, May 1, polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm.

Most councils are waiting until the following day to begin counting votes, with declarations expected on the afternoon on May 2.

But the result of the Runcorn & Helsby by-election is due overnight, along with the outcome of some of the mayoral contests.

Published: 10/04/2025 by Radio NewsHubClick here to read this story in full at Radio News Hub