Which West Midlands elections are held this year?

Thousands of voters will head to polling stations in parts of the West Midlands on 1 May for the 2025 local elections.

They will be held in this region in Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

In February, the government rejected proposals to delay county council elections in Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

"Shropshire Council has been "unbelievably close" to effectively declaring itself bankrupt for a number of years now," said BBC Radio Shropshire's political reporter, Rob Trigg.

"Demand for social care has outpaced funding and that is why services have been cut and residents now have to pay for garden waste collections.

"So whichever party - or parties - take control of the council in May, the primary objective will be to avoid running out of money."

All 74 seats will be elected for Shropshire Council.

Boundary changes will be in effect - there are 23 newly-named divisions.

There will be 74 councillors in 72 wards as two divisions have two councillors, Wem and St Martin's.

You can find out who Shropshire Council's candidates are here. Nominations close on 2 April and the list will be published the following day.

Elections for all 62 seats on Staffordshire County Council will be taking place in May.

In the last election in 2021, the Conservative Party kept control, winning 57 of the 62 seats.

Head to the council's election webpage, where there will be links to lists of candidates for each local area on 3 April.

All 57 wards of the county council will be elected in Warwickshire, with one councillor representing each.

The electoral divisions are the same as those used at the previous election in 2021 in which the Conservative Party won 42 of the seats.

You can find out who is standing on the county council's website, where lists will be published for each area on 3 April.

Fifty-seven county councillors will be elected in Worcestershire in this election.

In Worcester, recent boundary changes mean the shape of electoral divisions have changed slightly but the city will still elect 10 county councillors.

You can find out who is standing from the authority on this webpage on 3 April.

We have a great guide on what you can and cannot do in a polling booth, but here are some of the most important things you need to know:

• You need to take valid photo ID with you
• You can only vote at your local polling station, so it is important you find out where you need to go - this might not be the same as in previous elections
• Polling stations are open between 07:00 and 22:00 BST - you can vote after 22:00 BST as long as you were already in the queue
• Taking photos inside a polling station is not permitted - but you can take photos outside
• Animals, apart from assistance dogs, are not usually allowed in polling stations
• Bringing children to the polling station is encouraged but they are not allowed to mark your vote on the ballot paper

• Lists of candidates and polling stations will be published on 3 April

• The deadline for registering to vote is 23:59 BST on 11 April

• The deadline for applying for a postal vote is 17:00 BST on 14 April

• The deadline for applying for a proxy vote is 17:00 BST on 23 April

• Election day is on 1 May. Polling stations open from 07:00 to 22:00 BST

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