How do I vote in the 2017 UK local and mayoral elections today, and can I vote if I’m not registered? Here’s all you need to know
BRITAIN will today head to the polls after one of the most politically volatile periods in recent history.
Nearly 5,000 council seats are up for grabs and six mayoral elections are planned across England, Scotland and Wales on May 4.
Labour could be heading for a battering, with academics forecasting they could lose dozens of council seats and face a "kicking in Wales".
The Tories have already been tipped to pull off two wins in today's elections, including a predicted win for Tory candidate Andy Street.
The polls will also prove a crucial test for Ukip’s under-fire leader Paul Nuttall and point to whether or not the Lib Dems are rebuilding their grassroots base after their thrashing in the 2015 general election.
When are the 2017 UK local and mayoral elections?
The local and mayoral elections will be held today, May 4.
They will see Greater Manchester, Liverpool City, the West Midlands, Tees Valley, the West of England and Cambridge and Peterborough all elect their first metro mayors.
Labour is confident of winning Greater Manchester where former Health Secretary Andy Burnham is representing the party.
Labour should also win in the Liverpool region where its candidate is MP Steve Rotheram.
The key battleground is seen as the West Midlands where Labour’s Sion Simon is facing strong competition from the Tory Andy Street, the former boss of John Lewis.
Sue Jeffrey will be contesting the Tees Valley region for Labour while Conservative Tim Bowles, Labour's Lesley Mansell and Ukip's Aaron Foot will battle it out for the West of England.
The main candidates for Cambridge and Peterborough include James Palmer, of the Conservatives, Kevin Price, of Labour, and Rob Cantrill, of the Liberal Democrats.
In addition to the six metro mayors, elections are also taking place for directly-elected mayors in Doncaster and North Tyneside.
And on the same day, 4,851 council seats will be contested across the country.
Where will the polling booths be?
Six regions will be holding elections for mayors, with polling stations held around each area.
The polling stations will be open today from 7am and are expected to close at 10pm.
Voting is normally held in a large local building, such as a school, community centre or church.
The location of your polling station will be on the poll card sent to you.
If you can’t find the poll card, you can contact your local authority to find out.
You can find contact details for your local Electoral Registration Office on the government .
To find out where you can vote, head to
Can I vote if I’m not registered?
No.
In order to vote you must have first made sure you are registered.
Unfortunately if you haven't registered by now you have missed the deadline which was midnight on Thursday 13 April in England and Wales and midnight on Monday 17 April for Scotland.
What's the deadline for postal votes?
The registration for postal votes has also passed.
The deadline was Thursday May 4.
However, you can apply to vote by post for future elections, with the deadline to apply by post at the UK general election, which will take place on June 8, on Tuesday May 23.
How do I vote?
You must be over 18 to vote.
Voting can be done in a number of ways – by proxy, by post, or in person.
Those voting in person will need to head to their local polling station to cast their ballot.
When will the results be announced?
The polls will close at 10pm on Thursday, May 4.
The votes will then start to be counted tomorrow, Friday May 5, and from there, the results will be announced individually.
Voters can expect to know who will represent their constituency by early evening on Friday.
Will the day also see the arrival of a new MP?
A by-election in Manchester Gorton - the ninth-safest Labour seat in the country - was scheduled to be held on May 4 following the death of Labour's Sir Gerald Kaufman.
However, this was cancelled following the announcement of a snap general election.
The seat will now be contested on June 8.
