Callum Thomson
Data journalist, BBC Verify

Before the first council results start coming in, let's take a look at the state of the parties the last time these seats were contested.

There are more than 1,600 council seats up for grabs in 23 councils - and last time around, the Conservatives won almost 1,000 of them. That was May 2021, when Boris Johnson was prime minister, but no one had yet heard of Partygate.

Reform UK had only just been relaunched at the time (it was formerly the Brexit Party), and didn't get any councillors elected.

These council seats are definitely the Conservatives' to lose.

Helen Richardson
Reporting from North Shields

Here on North Tyneside we're eagerly awaiting the results of the mayoral election.

The count is expected to finish around 01:30 BST.

In an evolution of election tradition, we've been joined by this wonderful dog at the count.

Kaleigh Watterson
Reporting from Widnes

For some, this by-election is as almost a referendum on Labour’s leadership since taking power at the general election just under a year ago.

But many here have been thinking about local issues.

BBC Radio Merseyside held a debate with candidates, where listeners contacted us about things like Runcorn’s 1970s centre Shopping City and the increased toll charges across the town’s two bridges.

And of course, it’s not just the town of Runcorn - 60% of this constituency is rural and there’s also smaller towns and villages, such as Frodsham and Helsby.

Lucy Ashton
Reporting from Doncaster

Labour’s Ros Jones is defending her position as the directly elected Mayor of Doncaster at the age of 75.

First elected in 2013, she won further mayoral elections in 2017 and 2021. It’s a four-year term.

There is an older candidate standing for Doncaster mayor, 81-year-old Doug Wright, an independent.

The Reform candidate is Alexander Jones, aged 30. A Reform member says they are "feeling positive and good. We have worked very hard."

Defence Secretary John Healey is at the count - his constituency of Rawmarsh and Conisbrough covers both Doncaster and Rotherham.

A Labour insider says: "The vast majority of boxes have not been sampled yet but it very much looks like a three horse-race between Labour, the Conservatives and Reform."

The Conservative candidate Nick Fletcher, a former Doncaster MP who lost his seat in the 2024 general election, is also here.

Harry Farley
Political correspondent

Image source, PA Media

Reform UK’s chairman Zia Yusuf is predicting a "historic night" for his party.

"I think this is probably the most important set of council elections in this country's history because it marks an end to the stranglehold - that duopoly - of the two old parties that they've had on British politics for about a century now," he tells Newsnight.

He adds: "Tonight, regardless of what the end result is, it's clearly going to be monumental progress year on year.

"Clearly we're on a path to delivering on that mission to 350 to 400 Reform MPs and Nigel as our prime minister in 2029."

Laura Kuenssberg
Presenter

This is a big night. You can almost feel the political world holding its breath.

Not a big night because of the number of contests, but because of the importance of this moment.

It’s the first chance anyone has had to have their say on a new government since everything changed when Labour got back into power with that thumping majority in July.

Since then, in opinion polls, we’ve seen their popularity fall off a cliff.

A very important piece of the jigsaw: the last time these contests were mostly fought was back in 2021, when the environment was incredibly different.

Boris Johnson was in charge, and the Tories had a stunning success. It was so bad for Keir Starmer he even thought about resigning.

So tonight we’re in a different universe. The key questions are:

• How disappointing will it be for Labour after nearly their first year in office?
• Have the Tories really hit rock bottom yet?
• Can the Lib Dems and Greens continue recent gains?
• But the biggest question is can Reform UK turn their incredible hypothetical success we see in opinion polls into real power?

Laura's overnight results coverage has just begun - press watch live at the top of the page.

The shadow secretary for work and pensions has been sitting next to Phillipson on Newsnight this evening - and likewise expects a difficult night ahead.

"We are going to get a real battering in these elections," the Conservatives' Helen Whately tells the programme.

Reflecting on the party's defeat in the general election last year, Whately says it will take time for her party to come back "with a proposition that people really want".

Over on BBC Newsnight, the education secretary has been discussing the Runcorn and Helsby by-election.

Bridget Phillipson says the circumstances that gave rise to the by-election - ex-Labour MP Mike Amesbury stood down after punching a constituent - "make it really challenging" for the government.

"By-elections are always volatile, but circumstances make it really tough," she says.

Kaleigh Watterson
Reporting from Widnes

Here at tonight's count at the DCBL Stadium, there's a huge amount of media here covering this by-election.

TV cameras, photographers and both local and national journalists are all here, waiting to see what happens once the counting begins.

Halton Council have put some snacks on for us - and provided two rooms for the media to use, showing just how much interest there is in this corner of Cheshire this evening.

If you want to know what a reporter brings to a count, I've got a big bottle of water, a can of cola, a sandwich, some grapes and some sweets to keep me fuelled overnight.

And a fun fact for you: this count isn't actually taking place in the constituency. We're in the neighbouring constituency of Widnes and Halewood.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

So far we've brought you messages from party leaders Ed Davey of the Lib Dems and Nigel Farage of Reform UK, plus Labour's chairwoman Ellie Reeves.

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has also released a message, thanking her party's campaigners.

In a message on social media, she writes: "To everyone who has been out knocking on doors, delivering leaflets, and proudly championing our message—thank you.

"Over the past month, I’ve travelled the length and breadth of the country, visiting every community casting their vote today. At every stop, I’ve seen the very best of our party—and the very best of our country."

Image source, PA Media

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage says his party has fought a "strong campaign".

Writing on social media, he says: "The two major parties are more fearful of the results tonight than we are."

As a reminder, Reform are hopeful of taking the Runcorn and Helsby parliamentary seat - which was won by Labour in last year's general election - as well as mayoralties and council seats.

Lucy Ashton
Reporting from Doncaster

Labour insiders believe the mayoral election will be “tight” - with some saying it is too close to call with Reform UK.

Labour's regional mayors were in Doncaster today showing their support - South Yorkshire Mayor Oliver Coppard joined West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin and North Yorkshire Mayor David Skaith on the doorsteps.

It’s a sign that Labour sees Doncaster – which has had a Labour Mayor since 2013 – as vulnerable.

Tonight’s mayoral count will be the first challenge, as tomorrow there is the count for all-out council elections. Labour currently holds a majority on the council.

Image source, PA Media

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey sounds confident as the results start to be counted.

"We are expecting to see big gains against the Conservatives in their former Middle England heartlands," he says.

He adds: "Last year the Liberal Democrats won a record number of MPs and became the largest third party in 100 years. Now we are on course for our seventh year of local election gains, making this our best ever winning streak.

"Voters have delivered their verdict on a Conservative Party that broke the country and a Labour government that is too timid to fix it."

Sharon Edwards
Reporting from Grimsby

The first ballot boxes have arrived in Grimsby, where vote verification will begin for the Greater Lincolnshire mayoral election.

The patch is so large – 80 miles long – and counting is taking place throughout the region.

Each district council will ring through their results here and the final declaration made on the stage in the early hours of the morning.

Lucy Ashton
Reporting from Doncaster

Verification has started at Doncaster Racecourse for the mayoral count. This is for the directly-elected mayor of Doncaster, who has the same powers as a council leader.

Indications are that verification will take at least two hours, so the actual counting of votes will not begin until at least midnight, if not later.

A result is expected between 03:00 and 04:00.

Doncaster has had a directly-elected mayor since 2002.

Image source, EPA

We've just had new comments from Labour Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves.

"These elections were always going to be a challenge, being held largely in areas dominated by the Conservatives, often for decades," she says.

"That's why Labour candidates stood on a promise to bring change right across our country.

"There are promising signs that the Labour government's plan for change is already starting to turn around 14 years of Tory failure."

She adds: "But we know people aren't yet fully feeling the benefit and we are just as impatient for change as the rest of the country.

"However the results turn out this evening, this Labour government will go further and faster in turning our country around and giving Britain the future it deserves."

Kaleigh Watterson
Reporting from Widnes

This by-election follows the resignation of the former MP Mike Amesbury, following an assault conviction.

CCTV footage emerged at the end of last year showing him punching a man to the ground - and continuing to hit him. He was suspended by Labour and then sat as an independent MP.

In February he was given a prison sentence which was suspended on appeal, although he did spend three nights in prison.

He resigned shortly after - although if he hadn’t, his constituents could have asked for his removal through a process called a recall petition.

Image source, PA Media

With polls closed, the wait now begins for results.

Whether you're staying up through the night like us, or plan to set your alarm for a certain result, here's roughly when we're expecting calls to be made. But remember - election results can come far later, or far earlier, than expected.

• From 02:00: North Tyneside and West of England mayoral results are expected
• 03:00:Runcorn & Helsby by-election result is expected, and we could have results in the Greater Lincolnshire mayoral race
• 05:00:Results in the Doncaster mayoral election could be announced
• 07:00:We could have Northumberland's full council results

Other results across England will come later on Friday.

Reform are sounding upbeat in Runcorn and Helsbypublished at 22:01 British Summer Time 1 May

22:01 BST 1 May

Chris Mason
Political editor, reporting from Widnes

I am at the DCBL Halton Stadium, home to the rugby league side Widnes Vikings among others, and tonight home to 80 counters of thousands of bits of paper and a whole load of reporters too, me included.

Fifty-five polling stations in the parliamentary constituency of Runcorn and Helsby, just down the road, have now closed and the ballot boxes will start arriving here shortly.

All eyes are on the tussle between Reform UK and Labour and the result is expected… in the middle of the night.

If Reform win, it will be the first time a party led by Nigel Farage has won a by-election from scratch.

Previous successes, as UKIP, came after Conservative MPs defected to them, refought the same seats and won under their new banner.

First it was Douglas Carswell in Clacton in Essex in 2014, which is now Nigel Farage’s seat in parliament.

And then not long later it was Mark Reckless in Rochester and Strood in Kent.

The backdrop to tonight’s contest here in Cheshire isn’t wildly auspicious for Labour.

Their MP here, Mike Amesbury, elected with a thumping majority last summer, found himself last autumn visiting three pubs, drinking six pints and then thumping a man at a taxi rank at two o’clock in the morning.

Convicted of assault, he was briefly jailed and his political career was locked up forever.

Tonight, Labour are sounding defensive, Reform are sounding upbeat.

And that's it, the polls have now closed at polling stations across England.

It will be a little while until we start getting results in - so stick with us and we'll bring you the latest as it happens.

Up next - analysis from our political editor Chris Mason.