Gloucester local elections: All you need to know

Gloucester is expected to be a key battleground in the upcoming local election

Gloucester is predicted to be a key battleground in the local elections next month.

Local campaigners are putting their case on local issues - but their parties believe voters could be swayed by what is happening nationally too.

All 39 seats are up for election on 2 May and a party needs 20 for a majority.

Here's everything you need to know about the local election.

What are the key issues?

• Regeneration of Gloucester

For many years Gloucester has undergone a serious makeover, and parts of the city centre have become unrecognisable.

The next chapter to the city's transformation is underway with the building of The Forum, and the new University of Gloucestershire campus in the former Debenhams building.

However some projects have stalled, such as the revamp of The Fleece Hotel as £6.3m earmarked for the project have been redirected.

It was hoped the 15th Century timber-framed building, that is currently sat derelict, would become a boutique hotel however new proposals put forward an enterprise hub.

• Cyber attack on the city council

In December 2021 the authority's systems and services were compromised by a Russian ransomware attack.

Hackers sent an email designed to look like part of a conversation, releasing malicious software which made almost every council system inaccessible.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) found the council did not have the correct monitoring systems.

The council spent £1m fixing the flaws that led to the attack.

• Aspire going bust

Aspire, which ran two Gloucester leisure centres, went bust last year sparking redundancies and immediate closures.

GL1 Leisure Centre and Oxstalls Sports Park were shut in September 2023.

When they reopened under the management of Freedom Leisure, which runs the business until Gloucester City Council appoints a long-term operator, many people were invited to reapply for their jobs.

National issues - as well as local- may tip the political balance in Gloucester

Who can I vote for?

Gloucester City Council has 39 councillors representing 18 wards, with each ward containing a number of councillors in each.

Some wards have one councillor, like Podsmead, others have two such as Abbeydale and some have three including Barton and Tredworth.

There are 21 Conservative councillors, 14 Liberal Democrats, two Labour and two Community Independent.

The Tories have ran the administration for 20 years.

A full list of candidates can be found here.

When can I vote and how?

Voting takes place on Thursday 2 May between 07:00 and 22:00 BST, although postal votes can be cast before then.

If you are planning to vote in person you will need to take photo identification, as per the new rules introduced last year.

Counting will take place the next day, with the final results due sometime in the late afternoon or early evening on Friday 3 May.