Polls open for 2026 local elections

Amy HolmesBedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire political reporter in Milton Keynes
News imageAmy Holmes/BBC A multi-storey brick office building bearing the sign “MK Milton Keynes City Council,” viewed from street level on a clear day. The façade features repeating vertical window recesses and metal railings along each level. At ground level, a covered entrance canopy displays the same council branding, with signage, a bicycle, and a parked e‑scooter visible near the entrance.Amy Holmes/BBC
People will be voting today to elect 60 councillors on Milton Keynes City Council

Polls have opened for people to vote in local elections in Hertfordshire and Milton Keynes.

In Milton Keynes, because of a recent boundary review, 60 councillors will be elected in 21 wards.

The authority is also taking part in a government-funded trial and has opened a polling station in Midsummer Place shopping centre.

There are six district councils in Hertfordshire with elections, with polling stations across the country closing at 22:00 BST.

In the six districts, roughly a third of councillors will be elected in Broxbourne, St Albans, Stevenage, Three Rivers, Welwyn Hatfield and Watford, where a mayor will also be elected.

There are also by-elections in Hertsmere and East Herts, and one for Hertfordshire County Council in the Flamstead and Turnford ward.

Despite the election, a local government reorganisation is expected to scrap those councils and replace them with between two and four unitary authorities.

Voters need to bring an accepted form of photo ID to the polling station.

Accepted forms of ID include a passport, driving licence, older person's or disabled person's bus pass and a Voter Authority Certificate.

Expired ID can be used, as long as the voter is still recognisable in the photo.

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