When will the local election results be announced? Will there be an exit poll? | Politics | News

Voters across Britain head to the polls on Thursday for a series of local and devolved elections that could have major national consequences. As votes are cast in contests for legislatures in Scotland and Wales, as well as English councils, attention will quickly turn to when results will be announced and whether any early indicators, such as exit polls, can provide clues to the outcome.

Counting usually begins on Thursday at 22:00, just after the polls close. However, unlike UK general elections, where most results arrive overnight, local election counts are usually staged.

While many British council results are expected to be announced in the early hours of Friday morning and into the afternoon, some officials are expected not to make statements until later in the day.

Results may take longer in Scotland and Wales, where proportional systems can make counting more complex; Major announcements will likely spread throughout Friday and, in some cases, Saturday as well.

The overall national picture will gradually emerge as thousands of seats are contested (around 2,500 in England alone). Analysts and broadcasters will piece together trends as revelations come in, rather than relying on one definitive moment.

A traditional nationwide exit poll is not expected for these contests, as is the case for general elections.

Ballot boxes are expensive and logistically complex, and broadcasters tend to reserve ballots for national votes that can predict the composition of parliament with a single guess.

It is much more difficult to produce a reliable nationwide projection because local elections are divided into different regions and electoral systems.

Instead, attention will focus on early results and expert analysis. Some organizations may release surveys or modeling overnight, but these are not the same as a comprehensive exit survey and should be treated with caution.

Despite being a local election, Thursday’s votes are widely interpreted as a test for Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his Labor Government.

Labor is bracing for losses less than two years after winning the landslide, with forecasters suggesting it could lose a significant share of the seats it currently holds.

The results are expected to reflect broader political changes. Support for Labor appears to be fragmented; Gains are expected from smaller, rival parties, including the Greens and Reform UK. Meanwhile, the Conservatives, still trying to recover from their 2024 defeat, face competition on many fronts.

Risks are also high in Scotland and Wales. Plaid Cymru aims to make a breakthrough in Wales, while the Scottish National Party hopes to maintain its dominance and keep the independence issue alive.

Experts suggest that Britain is moving away from its traditional two-party structure towards a more complex, multi-party system.

This makes interpretation of the results more challenging and more meaningful. Rather than a simple win or loss for one party, the election could highlight a wider shift in the workings of British politics.

In practical terms, this means that Thursday night and Friday will not lead to a single, clear decision.

Instead, the story will emerge piece by piece as the results come in and the patterns become clearer, offering the first real indication of how voters are responding to the current Government and the changing political landscape.