Everything else you need to know about voting on 7 May 2026
- Polling hours
- Polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm on Thursday 7 May 2026. If you're in the queue at 10pm, you can still vote.
- Where to vote
- You can only vote at the polling station printed on your poll card. Look up yours above, or check at wheredoivote.co.uk. Don't have a poll card? You can still vote — just bring photo ID.
- Accessibility
- Every polling station has a Tactile Voting Device for visually impaired voters. You can also bring a companion to help you, or ask the Presiding Officer for assistance.
- Postal and proxy vote deadlines
- Postal vote applications must reach your council by 5pm on Wednesday 22 April 2026. Proxy vote applications close at 5pm on Wednesday 29 April 2026. Apply at gov.uk/apply-postal-vote or gov.uk/apply-vote-proxy.
- Can't make it on the day?
- Apply for an emergency proxy vote up to 5pm on 7 May 2026 if something unexpected (illness, work) means you can't get to your polling station.
- If you make a mistake on your ballot
- Ask the Presiding Officer for a replacement. They'll mark your first paper as spoilt and give you a fresh one.
Find your candidates
Not sure who to vote for?
Tick the issues that matter most to you. We'll show what each candidate's party says about those specific issues, so you can scan the positions that are actually relevant to your vote.
What does this council actually decide?
UK councils are split across two tiers in many areas. The election you're voting in determines which tier of responsibilities is at stake on 7 May 2026.
- District, borough, or city councils (lower tier) typically run:
- Bin collections and street cleaning · housing and homelessness services · planning decisions for new buildings and extensions · council tax rates (collecting on behalf of the county/police/fire too) · leisure centres, parks, and markets · licensing for taxis, pubs, and street trading · housing benefit and council tax support · running elections themselves.
- County councils (upper tier) typically run:
- Schools and school admissions (except academies) · adult social care (care homes, home care) · children's social care (child protection, fostering) · roads, streetlights, and traffic systems · waste disposal after your district's collection · libraries · registration of births, deaths, and marriages · trading standards and environmental health · public health.
- Unitary, London borough, and metropolitan councils:
- Combine both tiers in a single council — they run everything above.
Whichever candidate you pick has direct influence only over the services their council is responsible for. If you care about schools or social care, check whether your ward election is for a county or a combined-tier council.
Where the parties stand
Short, AI-generated summaries of each party’s public positions. Always check official manifestos before voting.
No local election found for this postcode
We couldn’t find a local election on 7 May 2026 for your area. This may mean your council isn’t holding an election this year, or the data hasn’t been published yet.
Try Who Can I Vote For? for the most up-to-date information.