UK Local, Scottish and Welsh Elections: Results Compilation Underway Amidst Methodological Discrepancies
With polls closing at 10pm on 7 May, initial outcomes for over 5,000 seats in England and devolved parliaments in Scotland and Wales are expected around midnight, though calculations remain subject to boundary adjustments and differing analytical frameworks.
Elections across England, Scotland, and Wales took place on 7 May 2026, marking a significant shift in local governance structures. In England, approximately 5,000 seats were contested across 134 councils, encompassing all 32 London boroughs, various metropolitan districts, county councils, unitary authorities, and six directly elected mayoral positions. Polls closed at 10pm, with initial results anticipated around midnight.
The Press Association (PA) is currently compiling the results, noting that discrepancies with other organisations may arise due to differing calculation methods and boundary changes. In England, the tracker indicates seat metrics for major parties including Labour, Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Reform, Green, and Other/NOC, although specific numerical outcomes for individual councils have not yet been detailed in the available data.
In Scotland, Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) were elected using the additional member system across eight regions, where voters cast two votes: one for a local MSP and another for a party list. Currently, zero of the 73 constituencies and zero of the eight regions have declared results out of a total of 129 seats.
Wales saw the election of Senedd members under a new closed proportional list system in 16 constituencies. Under this framework, parties win seats based on their share of the vote, with candidates selected from ranked lists. As of the current reporting, zero of the 16 constituencies have declared results out of 96 total seats.
The PA clarifies that numbers for changes in seats are calculated against the state of the council or parliament immediately preceding this election, whereas other organisations may use previous election results, leading to variations in reported figures. Additionally, frequent changes in ward boundaries and the number of councillors overall complicate the comparison of control across jurisdictions.
Beyond the main contests, shadow elections were held for two new unitary authorities scheduled for creation in Surrey in 2027. In England, candidate lists are already available for the six mayoral elections in Croydon, Hackney, Lewisham, Newham, Tower Hamlets, and Watford, while full council results await the completion of counts in councils affected by ward boundary changes.