Don’t expect quick poll results

VOTERS across Great Britain will head to the polls today on what has been dubbed “Super Thursday”.

There is a bumper crop of elections this time, as many were postponed from last May because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Every adult in England, Scotland and Wales will be able to cast at least one vote, which is rare outside a General Election.

However, the traditional overnight counting of a General Election will be absent this year and the entire process will be much slower and more disjointed due to coronavirus restrictions.

Although voting ends at 10pm tonight, the final results are not expected until Monday.

The national agenda will be set by what happens in the Hartlepool byelection, London mayoral elections and elections to the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Senedd.

The results of the London mayoral election, where Sadiq Khan is the bookies’ favourite to retain City Hall, and the London-wide PR top-up seat may come late on Saturday but could be on Sunday.

There are 12 other mayoral contests taking place in England, with only Doncaster counting overnight with the result expected early tomorrow morning.

Bristol and the West of England mayoral counts are among seven slated to happen on Saturday.

The Bristol mayoral result is expected in the evening, perhaps around 6pm, following the result of the West of England regional mayoral poll, which could be at noon.

Votes for the Bristol City Council election will then be counted on Sunday.

Gloucestershire County Council and Wiltshire Council election counts are scheduled to happen during the day on Saturday, with results due be early evening.

There are no council elections in Somerset (due to impending local government reorganisation), while Bath and North East Somerset, Dorset, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire all went to the polls in 2019 and the next elections there are not due until 2023.

Finally, there are elections for 39 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) in England and Wales, with counts for four – including Avon & Somerset – expected during the day tomorrow.

Fifteen counts are due during the day on Monday, with results in the afternoon and evening, including Devon & Cornwall; Gloucestershire; Wiltshire; and West Mercia.

Timings for Dorset and North Yorkshire have yet to be confirmed.

See your Western Daily Press on Saturday, Monday and Tuesday for full election results coverage.