United Kingdom local elections, 2015

United Kingdom local elections, 2015

2014 ← 7 May 2015 → 2016

279 councils in England and 5 directly elected mayors in England   Leader David Cameron Ed Miliband Party Conservative Labour Leader since 6 December 2005 25 September 2010 Last election 29%[a] 31%[a] Councils Councils +/– Councillors Councillors +/–   Leader Nick Clegg Nigel Farage Party Liberal Democrat UKIP Leader since 18 December 2007 5 November 2010 Last election 13%[a] 17%[a] Councils Councils +/– Councillors Councillors +/–

The 2015 United Kingdom local elections will be held on Thursday 7 May 2015, the same day the next United Kingdom general election is scheduled to take place according to the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011.

In England, direct elections are to be held in all 36 metropolitan boroughs, 194 of the second-tier districts, 49 of theunitary authorities, as well as for various mayoral posts, meaning local elections will take place in all parts of England with the exception of six unitary authorities (Cornwall, Durham, the Isle of Wight, Northumberland, Shropshire and Wiltshire), seven districts and boroughs (Adur, Cheltenham, Fareham, Gosport, Hastings, Nuneaton and Bedworth and Oxford), and the 32 London boroughs. For the majority of English districts and the 25 unitary authorities that are elected "all out" these will be the first elections since 2011. Elections will also take place for most English parish councils.

In Northern Ireland, there were elections to all 26 local councils in 2011 but these councils have since been scrapped and replaced by 11 super councils, which had their inaugural elections in 2014.

All registered electors (British, Irish, Commonwealth and European Union citizens) who will be aged 18 or over on the day of the election are entitled to vote in the local elections. Those who will be temporarily away from their ordinary address (for example, away working, on holiday, in student accommodation or in hospital) are also entitled to vote in the local elections,^[1] although those who have moved abroad and registered as overseas electors cannot vote in the local elections. Those who are registered to vote at more than one address (such as a university student who has a term-time address and lives at home during holidays) are entitled to vote in the local elections at each address, as long as they are not in the same local government area.^[2][3]