What you need to know about the 7 May elections in England, Scotland and Wales

What you need to know about the 7 May elections in England, Scotland and Wales2 days agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleJennifer ClarkeBBCThe biggest set of elections since the 2024 general election will see millions of people head to the polls on Thursday 7 May.Voters in Scotland and Wales will elect representatives to their national parliaments, while a number of local council and mayoral polls will take place in England. In Northern Ireland, local council and Assembly elections are scheduled for May 2027. Which elections are taking place in England on 7 May?About 5,000 seats across 136 local councils will be up for grabs.Six mayoral contests will also run on 7 May, in Watford and five London boroughs - Croydon, Hackney, Lewisham, Newham and Tower Hamlets. In council elections, voters generally have one vote for each available seat in an election area, known as a ward or division. Some wards have more than one representative. Your ballot paper will tell you how many votes you have.Like MPs in general elections, local councillors are elected under the first-past-the-post system. The candidate or candidates with the most votes in each ward win and become councillors.The political party which wins the most seats gains control of the council.Councils are responsible for local services including care for older people and people with disabilities, rubbish collection and recycling, housing, education and road maintenance. England elections 2026: What do local councils do?What does devolution mean and how does it work across the UK?Which elections are taking place in Scotland on 7 May?The Scottish Parliament election will decide who governs the country in key areas such as health and education and, as a result, the direction it takes on many issues.All 129 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) are up for re-election.There are 73 constituency MSPs and 56 regional MSPs (seven per region) in Holyrood. Each voter has two ballot papers and casts two votes, one to elect...