MORE than 200 local authorities are holding elections across England today but voters in St Helens will not be heading to the polls today.

A total of 230 local authorities in England are holding elections on Thursday, May 4.

Nearby areas in the north west including Wigan and Liverpool are among councils holding elections.

However, St Helens is not among the local authorities holding a vote this year.

Why are elections not being held in St Helens today?

This is because, in 2022, St Helens Council moved to an 'all out' system, which sees all of the authority's 48 councillors elected at once.

These take place every four years with the next local elections in St Helens to be held in 2026.

The council said the move to all-out elections aims to provide stability for the local authority to adopt a more strategic, long-term approach to policy and decision making, while it is also believed that it will save costs.

In last year's elections in St Helens, Labour held their overall control of the council, albeit with a reduced majority, winning 29 seats.

The Green Party took six seats, independent candidates won seven, Liberal Democrats four and the Conservatives two.

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Local elections typically reflect voters’ attitudes about neighbourhood concerns, such as when bins are collected, the state of parks and pavements, or access to libraries and hospitals.

But they can also be a verdict on the main political parties and their handling of big issues.

Many of the seats being contested this year across the country were last up for election in 2019, when the UK had still not left the European Union following the 2016 referendum, the prime minister was Theresa May and Labour was led by Jeremy Corbyn.