When will the election results in your area be announced, and why could it be a long day?

When will the election results in your area be announced, and why could it be a long day?

Politics

councils

Thursday 7 May 2026 at 8:29am

https://www.itv.com/news/2026-05-06/when-will-the-election-results-in-your-area-be-announced

 

The majority of councils will declare their results across Friday, with the first results estimated to be announced around 1am.

Words by ITV News Producer, Kieran Carter

 

The country will head to the polls on Thursday to vote in local and mayoral elections across England, as well as elections for the devolved parliaments of Scotland and Wales.

 

Polls close at 10 pm on Thursday, but unlike in general elections, results won't be counted as quickly, with only a third of authorities doing so overnight.

 

Nearly 5,000 council seats are up for election across 136 councils in England.

 

Under a new voting system, Wales will elect 96 members of its Senedd, up from 60 in previous years.

 

Scotland will elect all 129 of its MSPs in Holyrood.

 

The first results are expected around 1 am on Friday, with Broxbourne and Halton hoping to be the first to declare, though all times are estimated and various factors, such as recounts or turnout, could affect actual declaration times.

 

Wales is also electing representatives under an entirely new system with a reduced number of constituencies, making declaration times more likely to differ from what is expected.

 

Four councils expect to declare their results on Saturday instead.