Express & Star

When is the next election? Future polling dates for general, local and mayoral contests

Local elections have been held up and down the country today, including at four Black Country authorities.

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Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton Councils - along with Cannock Chase Council in Staffordshire - have all held elections today for a third of their seats.

It's a much smaller election this time around after last year's vote also included choosing a new West Midlands Mayor, while in the devolved nations both the Welsh Senedd and Scottish Parliament also held elections.

Local elections

Next year will once again see voters in Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton head to the polls to elect one third of councillors.

South Staffordshire, Lichfield and Stafford will all hold an election for the whole council, as will Wyre Forest. County council elections in Staffordshire are not due to be held until 2025, at the same time as Worcestershire County Council.

Meanwhile in 2026, the four Black Country boroughs are expected to hold 'all out' elections to coincide with the start of the latest boundary changes.

General election

At present there is no confirmed date for the next general election.

The latest date Parliament can be dissolved is five years to the day since it first met after the previous election.

The current Parliament met for the first time after the 2019 general election on Tuesday, December 17 of that year. That means Parliament will automatically dissolve on Tuesday, December 17 2024 if the government does not call an election before the date and ask the Queen to dissolve Parliament.

Polling day would then be expected to take place 25 days later. So the latest date Brits will go to the polls for the next general election is Saturday, January 11, 2025. But as UK elections are on a Thursday, January 9 is the more likely latest date for a general election.

The government could call a general election at any time though, as Theresa May and Boris Johnson did in 2017 and 2019 respectively.

West Midlands Mayoral Election

The last West Midlands mayoral election was held in May last year.

These contests are due to be every four years, with the first held in 2016 and second due in 2020. However, due to the pandemic the 2020 election was postponed by 12 months.

Despite this, the Coronavirus Act 2000 rules that no subsequent elections will be a year later than originally planned. This means that incumbent Andy Street is now serving a three-year term as mayor, and the next mayoral election will be held in 2024.

Devolved nations

Further afield, the Welsh Senedd is due to hold its next election no later than May 2026. The same also applies for the Scottish Parliament.