Image source, .

You can vote in person by attending a polling station before 22:00 BST today.

You need to have registered to vote already - and be aged 18 or over in England and Northern Ireland, or 16 or older in Scotland and Wales.

Polling stations are typically found inside public buildings like schools and churches.

Beforehand, you should have been sent a card telling you where your nearest station is. If you're not sure, though, you can contact your local authority's election office, external.

People voting in Northern Ireland need to take an ID with them.

Many people have already voted by post - the deadline to apply to do so happened ahead of polling day.

Similarly, those wanting someone else to vote on their behalf (a proxy vote) need to have applied for this already.

In England, Scotland and Wales, there are provisions in place to help people vote if they have Covid-19 on polling day.

You can read more about the voting process in our explainer.

In England:

• 144 councils
• 4,411 seats
• Elections for most seats were last held in 2018

In Wales:

• All 22 councils
• 1,234 seats
• Elections were last held in 2017

In Scotland:

• All 32 councils
• 1,226 seats
• Elections were last held in 2017

In Northern Ireland:

• 90 members of the assembly
• 18 constituencies
• Elections were last held in 2017

Image source, Reuters

Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson has been at a polling station in central London to cast his vote in the council elections.

Johnson took his dog Dilyn, a Jack Russell cross, along with him.

Voters taking their canine pals to polling stations has become something of an election-day tradition in recent years.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Often referred to as Stormont, the 90-member Northern Ireland Assembly has separate powers from the UK government.

It was created in 1998 following the Good Friday Agreement, a peace deal which aimed to end decades of conflict in Northern Ireland.

The assembly is largely made up of parties from two blocs - the unionists, who favour remaining part of the UK, and nationalists, who support a united Ireland.

The assembly was designed to facilitate power-sharing by requiring political parties from the two communities to form a coalition government.

Since 2003, the Democratic Unionist Party has been the largest party in the assembly, followed by nationalists Sinn Féin.

They and other parties have governed Northern Ireland under a mandatory power-sharing agreement.

Polls have been open for almost an hour now (they close at 22:00 tonight) but not everyone will get to vote this year because of the way council elections in England are organised.

If you live in Scotland and Wales you will get to vote in your nation's local elections. Likewise, voters in Northern Ireland are going to the polls to elect members of the Stormont assembly.

So if you're confused as to whether you can take part in this year's vote - head to this page and put your postcode in the box.

Image source, .

Image source, Bloomberg/Getty Images

The short answer is: be careful.

The Electoral Commission - which oversees UK elections - advises against this because it risks accidentally giving away how someone else (the person in the booth next to you, for example) voted, which is illegal.

So while you’re voting, it’s best to keep your phone in your pocket.

But outside the polling station “you’re very welcome to take as many photos and videos as you like” provided you’re “respectful of other voters”, the Electoral Commission’s website says, external.

We've written up the rules on what you can and cannot do at a polling station.

But. like many dog owners on polling day, you might be tempted to take a photo of your pet accompanying you to vote - and that's absolutely fine. So much so that we hope to bring you Dogs At Polling Stations on this page throughout the day.

Image source, EPA

For elections and referendums, there are restrictions on what the BBC and other broadcasters can report in the UK.

The BBC is legally required to ensure fairness between candidates in our coverage.

This code of practice is part of BBC election guidelines, which are designed to help our journalists deliver impartial and fair reporting of campaigning and policies.

On polling day, the BBC does not report on any of the campaigns from 00:30 BST until polls close at 22:00 on any of its platforms or social media.

But the BBC website does not have to remove archived reports published prior to this period.

While the polls are open, it is a criminal offence to publish anything about the way in which people have voted in that election.

From 22:00, normal reporting of the election resumes.

For more information, you can read our election guidelines here.

Image source, Reuters

The clock has ticked past 07:00 BST - and polls are now open for the local and Northern Ireland assembly elections.

Millions of people are expected to vote for councillors in England, Scotland and Wales - and the devolved government at Stormont.

Polls close at 22:00, and results will be declared over the coming couple of days.

The BBC will keep you right up to date with the latest through the day followed by the full results and reaction once the polling station doors close tonight.

Image source, Getty Images

Local councils are responsible for everything from bins, bus routes and potholes, to providing mental health services, deciding planning applications and managing schemes to tackle climate change.

In England, Wales and Scotland, local representatives (known as councillors) are elected to represent the views of their community and make decisions on delivering services.

To complicate matters, there are different types of councils in England. Put simply, they are responsible for particular services within their area.

They include:

• London boroughs: They run the majority of services alongside the capital-wide government, the Greater London Authority
• Metropolitan districts: Deliver services within large urban areas
• County councils: Cover large, often rural, areas and provide services such as road maintenance and libraries
• District councils: These cover a smaller area and provide more local services such as waste collection
• Unitary authorities: Areas where these exist have only one level of local government - these are mainly in cities, larger towns and - increasingly now - rural counties

Councils in Wales and Scotland are unitary authorities and provide the full range of local services from education to pest control.

It’s a bumper day of elections in the UK, but it’s a complex picture that takes some explaining.

• In England, there are elections for 144 of 333 councils. That includes all the London boroughs, 33 out of 36 metropolitan boroughs, 60 of 181 district councils, and 21 out of 58 unitary authorities. In some of the councils, only a third of seats are being elected. South Yorkshire is voting for a regional mayor, while Bristol is holding a local referendum to decide whether the city council should continue to be led by a mayor
• In Wales and Scotland, all local authorities are up for election. The polls were last held in 2017 and will decide which parties govern Scotland’s 32 local authorities, and all 22 councils in Wales
• There’s a significant election in Northern Ireland, where voters will choose 90 members of the devolved assembly. The Northern Ireland Assembly at Stormont is designed to make up a government in which power is shared between unionists, who favour remaining part of the UK, and nationalists, who support a united Ireland

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the May 2022 elections.

Millions of voters are expected to choose their local representatives today, with polls opening at 07:00 BST across the UK.

Voters will elect local councils which run public services in England, Wales and Scotland, and the devolved legislature for Northern Ireland.

Once the polls close at 22:00 tonight, results will gradually be declared over the next few days (so bear with us).

As the results come in, we’ll bring you the latest updates, reaction and analysis from our elections team.

You can watch our live TV coverage of the elections, which kicks off from 23:40 BST.