Local elections: Sheffield heads to the polls as voting for councillors and South Yorkshire Mayor begins

The polls opened across England and Wales at 7am today (May 2) to elect the next councillors for Sheffield City Council and the next South Yorkshire Mayor.

The city council election is expected to be a nail-biter for both Labour and the Lib Dems.

Labour are still the biggest party with 30 members but they are only one ahead of the Lib Dems, so the council remains under no overall control.

This situation followed the departure of eight long-standing Labour councillors to form the Sheffield Community Councillors group.

In Sheffield, there are 84 elected councillors with three councillors for each of the 28 wards.

The seat of one councillor for each ward is contested annually (three years in every four).

Voters in Firth Park will choose two councillors instead of just one, as Coun Abtisam Mohammed resigned ahead of standing for Labour in the general election.

The Greens are the third biggest group with 14 councillors.

In South Yorkshire, the functions of the Mayor and those of the elected Police and Crime Commissioner are being brought together into the single role of Mayor of South Yorkshire.

This election is also taking place today.

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After the election, the Mayor will serve a four-year term, with the next chance to vote taking place in May 2028.

The polls are open until 10pm on May 2.

You can find more information about your councillors on Sheffield City Council’s website, and about your options via Who Can I Vote For?