All you need to know about local elections in Birmingham and the Black Country

Voters in six council areas across Birmingham and the Black Country will go to the polls on 7 May for the biggest set of local elections in the region since 2022.

Every seat will be contested in Birmingham, Sandwell, Walsall and Solihull, which could open the door for wholesale change of the councils' political make-up.

In Wolverhampton and Dudley, voters elect representatives for a third of seats on the councils.

• Birmingham City Council, Sandwell Council and City of Wolverhampton Council all have Labour majorities.
• In Walsall and Solihull, the Conservatives are in charge.
• No party has overall control in Dudley, but the council is led by the Conservatives.

All of these authorities are metropolitan boroughs, a type of unitary authority, which run all local council services. This differs from those in some areas which have county and district authorities.

Politically, it will be a fascinating set of results to pore over.

While these elections are about bin collections, potholes and looking after vulnerable people, they are also a test of where the parties stand nationally.

It is also possible a bad set of results for Labour across the country could even cost the prime minister his job.

Labour's controlling majority in Birmingham, held since 2012, appears to be under serious threat amid the council's financial problems and continuing bin strike.

Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, is targeting a breakthrough in a city which voted for Brexit but where former iterations of the party including UKIP failed to gain a stronghold.

• Follow the 2026 local elections on BBC Birmingham & Black Country

Reform UK is also fielding a full list of candidates across the Black Country boroughs.

Tellingly, when Sir Keir Starmer launched his party's local election campaign in Wolverhampton, it was the threat of Reform UK and the Green Party that he mentioned in his speech.

The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats will also be looking to take advantage of Labour's difficulties. Independent candidates, some making the wars in the Middle East a key part of their campaigns, could also have an impact.

It depends where you live.

In Birmingham, where the whole council is being elected, you will be asked to select one or two candidates depending on the area you live in.

In Walsall, Sandwell and Solihull, where there are the same "all-out" elections, voters will be asked to select three candidates.

In most other areas, voters will select just one candidate.

The voting system is first past the post, which means the candidate with the most votes wins.

In contests where two or three councillors are being selected, the candidates with the second and third highest number of votes also win a seat as applicable.

• 9 April - Close of nominations for people to stand in May's elections
• 20 April - Deadline to register to vote, which can be done online
• 21 April - Deadline to apply for a postal vote, which can also be done online
• 28 April - Deadline to apply for a proxy vote, where you can name someone to vote on your behalf. It is also the deadline to apply for a voter authority certificate if you do not have ID such as a driver's licence or passport. You need to show ID at a polling station to be able to vote
• 7 May - Polling stations open at 07:00 BST and close at 22:00. If you are in the queue by 22:00, you will be able to vote - but do not forget your ID.

In Dudley, counting will begin shorty after polls close, with results expected in the early hours of Friday 8 May.

Everywhere else is planning to count the day after voting closes. So it could be late afternoon on 8 May before we get a proper picture of the results.

• SIMPLE GUIDE: What elections are taking place in May?
• EXPLAINER: What can't you do at a polling station?
• LOOKAHEAD: When is the next general election?
• POSTCODE LOOKUP: Is there an election in your area?

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