Polls open for local elections in West of England

The polling stations are open until 22:00 on Thursday

Voters are heading to the polls to cast their votes for the local and mayoral elections in the West of England.

The ballots will decide who becomes the new mayor of the West of England Combined Authority (Weca) and who will lead Gloucestershire County Council and Wiltshire Council.

Registered voters casting their ballot in person will require photo ID to do so - this could be a passport, driving licence or an Armed Forces Veteran Card.

Polling stations opened at 07:00 BST and will close at 22:00, with results being declared throughout the night and on Friday.

It is the first big set of polls since Labour's landslide victory in the general election last summer.

• Weca mayoral elections: What you need to know

• Gloucestershire elections: What's at stake?

• A guide to Wiltshire's elections

Around the country, there are a total of 24 councils hosting elections along with six mayoral authorities.

Councils are responsible for local services such as schools and housing benefits.

Councillors are elected to represent the people in their local area by overseeing the work of the council and setting strategies and priorities.

Most of them are affiliated with a political party, such as Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrats, Green and Reform, but some stand as independents.

The BBC and other broadcasters are not allowed to report details of campaigning or local election issues on TV, radio or online on polling day until voting closes.

You can follow along all the latest developments around the country here.