The local election race is on
150 councils, more than 4,000 seats, and six mayoralties are up for grabs in today's local elections that are the first test of public opinion since Theresa May lost her majority in the general election.
Polling stations opened at 7am and will close at 10pm and people queuing when a venue closes will still able to vote.
Some councils will release results during the day on Friday but most will declare overnight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uVf12YBUKxU
A new voter ID scheme is being trialled at five different councils in an effort to crack down on voter fraud.
Mayoral elections are taking place in Hackney, Lewisham, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Watford. A regional Sheffield City Region Mayor is being voted in for the first time by people in Sheffield, Rotherham, Barnsley and Doncaster.
UKIP massacred the results last time, in 2014. Combined with their success in the following European elections, David Cameron felt sufficiently pressured to include a referendum on EU membership in the Conservative party manifesto.
We all know how that turned out.
