Elections 2017: Polls close across England

Polling Stations closed at 22:00 BST

Polling stations have closed in England's local council and mayoral elections.

There are nearly 2,400 posts being contested, including six new combined authority mayors created under devolution deals.

Voting has also taken place in county, unitary and metropolitan councils and for local council mayors in Doncaster and North Tyneside.

Registered voters were able to cast their ballots until 22:00 BST.

Almost every seat was being contested in the authorities involved, including 126 seats in Durham, 98 in Wiltshire and 84 each in Cumbria and Norfolk.

Counting will not take place until Friday morning in most areas.

Those counting overnight, straight after polls close, include the West of England mayor and councils for the Isle of Wight, Warwickshire, Dorset and Essex.

Most councils will declare results on Friday afternoon, with the West Midlands and Greater Manchester mayors expected to be announced on Friday evening.

• A guide to the local elections

The first directly-elected mayors will be chosen in the West Midlands, Greater Manchester, the Liverpool City Region, Tees Valley, West of England and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.

They will oversee new combined authorities, which are groups of existing councils working together to make use of new devolved powers.

The mayors will mostly be responsible for economic development, but some will have powers over transport and housing.

While councillors will be elected by a simple majority, the combined authority mayors are being chosen under the supplementary voting system - giving people a first and second choice.

It means that if no candidate has won at least 50% of the vote, the top two candidates go to a second round with the second choice votes counted of everyone whose first choice was eliminated.

Cornwall Council is electing 122 of its 123 councillors. One contest, in Bodmin St Petroc, has been delayed following the death of Liberal Democrat councillor Steve Rogerson.

The Council of Isles of Scilly, which has a special status, is also electing 16 councillors.

A planned Parliamentary by-election in Manchester Gorton, triggered by the death of sitting MP Gerald Kaufman, was due to take place but was cancelled after a general election was called for 8 June.