Local Elections 2026: Your guide.

This is the one. After months of debate, fuelled by numerous opinion polls and a myriad predictions, the forthcoming May 7 elections promise to answer questions that have been at the forefront of conversations since shortly after Labour came to power in July 2024.

Never before have the local and devolved parliamentary elections felt so significant, with the results likely to set the scene for what increasingly feels like a new era of politics. And all against the backdrop of massive international uncertainty.

In under a month’s time, we will know whether Reform UK’s leading position in various national charts will crystallise into a real-life lead? Will there be (another) bloody nose for Labour? Can the Conservatives come romping back in the popularity stakes so soon after losing pretty much all of their support? Can the Greens repeat the success of the Gorton and Denton By-Election? Can Ed Davey abseil, bungee jump or glide his local contingent of Liberal Democrats into a contending position?

More importantly, what will it mean for the people who we support as a leading provider of communications for planning?

Because we know that’s what really matters to you – understanding how to best navigate the politics which enables people to successfully invest in infrastructure. Obviously, get in touch in the usual way (via the local advocacy email address) if you need more specific information or advice.

For now, we’re committed to bringing you an unbeatable roundup of the runners and riders between now and May 7, when people across England, Scotland and Wales will go to the polls.

On the face of it, these are very different contests, with unique characteristics: local council elections in 134 English authorities; elections to the Scottish parliament; elections to the Welsh Senedd.

But they will also serve as a sounding board for the electorate at what feels like a truly unique moment in British politics, with no victory to be assumed for the traditional leading parties, Labour and Conservative, and the vote likely to be split, tactically or otherwise, among at least five ‘main’ parties.

In the Scottish Parliament Election, as you’ll read in more detail in Mark Glover’s article in this newsletter, around four million voters will head to the polls in to elect 129 MSP – or Members of the Scottish Parliament – to Holyrood.

In Wales, there will be significant change, with the number of members elected to the Senedd increasing from 60 to 96 and a vote for anyone aged 16+. Wales will return members for 16 constituencies instead of 40. The Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru created the new areas by pairing the 32 UK Parliament constituencies for Wales. They also considered local boundaries, road and transport links, and natural features like rivers and mountains.

Voters across England will elect over 4,851 councillors, including those representing wards where ministers had previously announced plans to delay elections due to government reorganisation - changes which would have reduced the number of councillors elected by over 600. 

Seats will be decided on 134 of England’s 317 councils. In addition, ‘shadow elections’ will be held for two new unitary authorities due to be created in Surrey in 2027. 

Up until May 13, when this will all be over, we’ll be running weekly Politics & Planning newsletters providing a summary of the latest news and a focus on some of the key battle grounds, starting today with Scotland.