LOCAL ELECTIONS: Voters head to the polls across West Yorkshire

Votes are being held in all five districts of West Yorkshire today

Author: Matt SoanesPublished 7th May 2026

Voters are heading to the polls in local elections across West Yorkshire today.

Polls are open in ballots for the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments, as well as 136 local authorities in England.

Seats are up for grabs across all five districts of West Yorkshire, with 'all-out' votes being held in Bradford, Kirklees, Wakefield and Calderdale; meaning all seats are up for grabs on each council.

In Leeds a third of seats are up for grabs - or 33 out of the 99 total.

All local authorities in West Yorkshire are currently Labour led, with the exception of Kirklees where no party has an overall majority.

Labour is expected to face a dual challenge this election from both the Greens and Reform UK, with the vote being widely seen as a referendum on the performance of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.

How and where can I vote?

In order to take part in this election you need to have registered to vote in advance.

To cast your ballot you will need to take your polling card and your ID to your local polling station, where you can fill out a ballot.

You can use this website to find your local polling station.

More information on the process of voting can be found on this website.

Polls close at 10pm tonight

When will we know the results?

Some local authorities in England will count the votes overnight, while some will begin counting on Friday before publishing the results later in the day.

Bradford is expected to declare its results on Saturday afternoon.

Approximate times that our local authorities will declare are below:

Leeds - 3pm Friday

Wakefield - 6pm Friday

Kirklees - 6pm Friday

Calderdale - 8.30pm Friday

Bradford - 4pm Saturday

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