London, Thanasis Gavos

Voters in 230 of England’s 317 municipal and regional councils go to the polls from 7 a.m. local time to elect their new members.

Elections are also being held in four areas to choose the new mayor, namely in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough.

There are no elections in Scotland and Wales, while the corresponding vote in Northern Ireland will take place on May 18.

The election process lasts 15 hours, until 10 at night local and the results will start to be announced from Friday morning.

Local elections are seen to some extent as just an indication of voters’ intentions ahead of the general election, which is still more than a year and a half away.

The ruling Conservative Party is set to lose many city and district councillors, but Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s recent surge in popularity over Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer may limit the losses.

For the first time in elections in Britain, voters are required to carry proof of identity with them, a measure that has caused reactions.