General Election 2015: Local results may be delayed

Results are not expected until Saturday for various councils across the country

Ballot boxes ready for delivery to polling stations (AP)

The results of local council elections being run alongside the general election may not be known until Saturday.

There are contests for 290 councils and six mayors in England today, on the same day as the parliamentary battle. Nearly 30,000 candidates are fighting for almost 10,000 council seats.

The combined totals make this the busiest General Election day since 1979 when there were more council seats - before local government reorganisations.

Results are not expected until Saturday from Arun, Erewash, Daventry, East Dorset, Eastbourne, Mid Devon, Lewes, Mid Sussex, North Dorset, Rother, Thanet, Warwick, Wealden and West Dorset.

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In this year’s council elections the Tories are defending 4,965 seats, Labour 2,447, the Lib Dems 1,044, Ukip 119, the Greens 82 and others 971. The Tories defend a slim majority at Trafford, while Labour could take outright control at Calderdale and Walsall.

Both the Tories and Liberal Democrats have a chance of capturing Bath and North East Somerset.

Conservatives may also have hopes of winning at Herefordshire. Other Tory gains could include Amber Valley, Basingstoke and Deane, East Staffordshire, Gloucester and St Albans but they could lose at Erewash, Malvern Hills, North Lincolnshire and South Derbyshire.

Labour might win at Allerdale but defends a small majority at Ashfield. The party faces possible defeat at Derby and Plymouth.

These council results may be better for Lib Dems, who lost heavily last time in the first major voting test since the formation of the coalition Government. They may hope to at least stem the tide of losses and even make some gains.

The Greens, meanwhile, could win Brighton and Hove and Norwich.

It is unclear where Ukip may triumph but they could have an outside hope of a close finish behind Labour at Rotherham, amid the child abuse scandal. They came close to winning all the seats up for election there last year with several narrow Labour majorities.

PA