Labour has won key councils and regional mayors in England, with the Conservatives losing 10 councils and more than 400 councillors
It also picked up the new regional mayor for York and North Yorkshire - which covers Rishi Sunak's constituency
Ben Houchen's win in the Tees Valley mayoral race was a bright spot on what has been a bad set of results for the Tories
Rishi Sunak said losses were "disappointing" but mayoral contests like Tees Valley were a "key battleground"
Labour made gains, winning councils in Redditch, Thurrock, Hartlepool, and Rushmoor in Hampshire - but lost Oldham to no overall control
Labour also won the Blackpool South by-election, taking the seat from the Tories, with a 26% swing
Sir Keir Starmer said the result "sends a message" to Rishi Sunak, and called on the prime minister to "make way"
Image source, .Across England and Wales, more than 2,660 council seats were up for grabs, with the Conservatives and Labour each defending a similar number - just under 1,000 each.
The Liberal Democrats are defending just over 400, the Green Party just over 100.
Chris Mason
Political editor
Unlike on a general election night, when the sun rises we won’t have the definitive outcome.
Yes, the result of the Blackpool South parliamentary by-election will come at daft o’clock in the morning.
Labour are very confident about their likely performance on the Lancashire coast.
And about a third of the local authorities in England with elections are doing the nocturnal arithmetic thing too.
But, plenty are getting a night’s kip before the counting starts.
This means the story, the sentiment, the moods of the various parties will have taken a shape by breakfast time on Friday.
All of the above may change as Friday does its thing and then Saturday arrives.
That is because results will continue to trundle in throughout Friday afternoon - and yes, throughout Saturday too.
The big question is whether all the declarations are done by the time Match of the Day is on on Saturday night.
It could be a close run thing.
Chris Mason
Political editor
After 15 hours of voting, millions of decisions have been taken – and thousands of aspiring decision makers - i.e. politicians - await their fate.
This is a patchwork set of elections around England and Wales, with a long tail of results.
So, first thing’s first - I’d be delighted if you join us on BBC One, Radio 4 and 5 live and on the BBC News app and website all night as results come in.
Polls across England and Wales have now closed.
As we've been reporting, millions of voters have been casting their ballots in local elections, mayoral races and for police and crime commissioners.
There has also been a parliamentary by-election in Blackpool South.
Stay with us as the results start to come in overnight, and we'll also bring you analysis and reaction.
Ric Bailey
BBC chief adviser, politics
The BBC, like other broadcasters, is not allowed to report details of campaigning or election issues while polls are open on Thursday for elections in England and Wales.
The BBC is required by electoral law to adopt a code of practice, ensuring fairness between candidates, and that is particularly important on polling day.
The code of practice is contained in more detailed election guidelines which are written and published for each election, and they include guidance about polling day.
On polling day, the BBC does not report on any of the election campaigns from 06:00 BST until polls close at 22:00 BST on TV, radio or bbc.co.uk, or on social media and other channels.
There's under an hour left to vote, so if you're heading to the polling station, remember that you must show proof of identity following a new requirement introduced last year.
In-person voters will need to show one of the 22 accepted forms, external of identification. These include:
You can use out-of-date photo ID as long as you look the same.
If you wear a face covering, such as a medical mask or a veil worn on religious grounds, you will be asked to remove it briefly, external so polling station staff can check your ID looks like you.
Image source, Josh RaultRobbie the dog enjoyed the sun outside the polling centre in Colchester earlier
Polls have been open since 07:00 for council, mayoral and police and crime commissioner elections in England and Wales.
Although Scotland and Northern Ireland do not have any elections today, the UK has strict rules on what broadcasters can report about elections while polls are open.
Those rules lift when polls close at 22:00 - at which point we’ll have plenty of analysis, voices, and the latest lines as the night develops.
And if you’re one of those heading out to vote in the final hour - don’t forget you need your ID.
As well as local councils, Londoners are also electing a mayor and 25 London Assembly members.
It's a chance for the capital's 6.2 million registered voters to decide who will run the city for the next four years.
You can vote if you meet the following criteria and are already on the electoral register:
The voting system for mayor has also changed recently. Previously voters listed a first and second preference, but this time you can only vote for one candidate.
Under the first-past-the-post system, the candidate with the most votes will win.
Image source, ReutersVoting is in the final hours in parts of England to elect councillors and mayors.
Police and crime commissioners will also be chosen across England and Wales.
But the elections being held differ across the country.
Enter your postcode here to find out who and what you can vote for in your area. And when you go to vote, don't forget your photo ID.
Polls close at 22:00 BST and the counting will begin after that.
Image source, PAA file image of former prime minister Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson, the former prime minister who introduced the voter ID rules, was turned away from a polling station today after forgetting to bring acceptable photo ID.
As first reported by Sky News, polling station staff turned Johnson away as he attempted to cast his ballot in South Oxfordshire, where a police and crime commissioner for the Thames Valley is being selected.
Johnson's spokesman told the BBC's political editor Chris Mason, the former Conservative leader returned later with the necessary ID and was able to vote.
Image source, Oliver FordRupert outside a polling station in Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Image source, Nick PayneMonisha outside a polling station in Tutbury, Staffordshire
And here's Suki outside a polling station in Bridgend
Image source, Getty ImagesVoting for local elections is under way across England and Wales and as a reminder, here are the answers to some commons questions about voting at polling stations.
Can I take a selfie? Not inside the polling station. The Electoral Commission - which oversees UK elections - says it risks the secrecy of the ballot. But people can take photos outside.
Can I tell my social media followers how I voted? Yes, but voters are advised not to update their social media accounts inside the polling station.
Can I bring my pet? Animals, apart from assistance dogs, are not usually allowed in polling stations., external
Can I wear political clothing? The Electoral Commission says there's nothing in law to prevent someone wearing a political slogan going into a polling station in order to vote - but campaigning inside polling stations is not allowed.
Can my children come with me to vote? Bringing children to the polling station is encouraged to help educate them about democracy - but they're not allowed to mark your vote on the ballot paper.
Local council and mayoral elections are taking place across England, and police and crime commissioner elections are taking place across England and Wales. There are also elections to the London Assembly.
Counting will begin after the polls close at 22:00, and here's when to expect results:
We'll be up all night with full coverage of the results, so stay with us.
Today we've seen voters around the country take their dogs to polling stations.
Somewhat bucking the trend is Pepper, who has taken herself to a polling station at Chertsey Museum in Surrey.
Pepper's "press agent" at the museum, which is acting as a polling station today, says the friendly feline is well known to visitors and neighbours.
Luckily for us, Pepper has given "purr-mission" to use her photo.
Image source, Chertsey MuseumPepper waiting to ask dogs for photo ID, probably
Image source, .A summary of what you need to know:
There are 22 acceptable forms of ID, external, including:
You can use out-of-date ID as long as you look the same.
If you wear a face covering, such as a medical mask or a veil worn on religious grounds, you will be asked to remove it briefly, external so polling station staff can check it's you.
If you go to the polling station without any ID, you will be asked to come back with some.
If you think your ID has been wrongly rejected, the Electoral Commission says you should notify the presiding officer at the polling station, external.
If this does not resolve the issue, you can raise your concerns with your council's returning officer.
For more information on the rules, read our story here.
Seats in some local councils in England are up for grabs today.
Local councils are responsible for many public services including collecting your rubbish, maintenance local roads and providing care for the elderly and disabled.
They are independent of central government but receive funding from government grants.
There are a total of 317 local councils in England and those elected to represent them are known as councillors - you can see some of the different types below.
These are different from MPs, who are elected members of central government and sit in the House of Commons. They are responsible for an area known as a constituency.
This means representing and helping the people that live in this area, which sometimes involves MPs interacting with local councils.
However, while MPs can query a decision a council has made on behalf of a constituent, they cannot overrule a council decision or tell a councillor what to do.
Image source, .
Image source, .You might be heading home from work soon and thinking of voting on the way home. There's still time because the polls are open until 22:00 BST. But what you can vote for depends on where you live.
Voting is under way in parts of England to elect councillors and mayors.
Police and crime commissioners will also be chosen across England and Wales.
Click here where you can enter your postcode to find out who and what you can vote for in your area.
And when you go to vote don't forget your photo ID.
Veterans minister Johnny Mercer has apologised following reports of at least one military veteran being turned away from voting stations because they had incorrect identification.
Mercer responded to a post on X, formerly Twitter, by a soldier called Adam, external who said he had brought his Veteran ID card with him but had been unable to vote.
"I’m not one for complaining but I am gutted!" wrote Adam, who said he had spent 27 years in the army.
Voters must now bring one piece of photo ID with them when they vote in person. You can read more about this here.
"I am sorry about this," wrote Mercer, a veteran himself, in response.
"The legislation on acceptable forms of ID came out before the veterans ID cards started coming out in January this year. I will do all I can to change it before the next one."
A government spokesperson said that consultations were already underway to add the card to the official list of recognised ID.
They pointed out that defence identity cards for serving members of the armed forces are accepted.
Image source, PAVeterans minister Johnny Mercer
Image source, Jasmine LeeJulia Reszka, 23, thinks online voting would draw more young voters out
People in the UK have been placing an X on ballot papers since 1872 and currently, registered adults can only vote in person, by post or proxy, external.
Countries where e-voting is already in place either use touch-screen machines in polling stations or remote internet-based systems.
In Estonia, the remote i-voting system recorded 44% of votes cast in the 2019 parliamentary elections. E-voting machines are also widely used in India, the US and Brazil, but doubts have been raised over machines malfunctioning and the veracity of results.
The head of MI6 said in 2017 that a "stubby pencil and piece of paper" in the ballot box was more secure than any vote cast online.
Julia Reszka, 23, says, "often when you have in-person voting young people can be lazy", and she thinks online voting would provide more opportunities to vote.
Image source, BBC NewsWhat is happening at your polling station? Are you and your pets voting today?
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