Local elections 2018: Everything you need to know as millions of voters head to the polls in England

Where is my local polling station, what time to polls close, when do results come in? Everything you need to know for the local elections

Millions of voters will head to the polls in England today in the first electoral test since Theresa May lost her parliamentary majority in last year's general election.

The local elections will determine leadership in some 150 council areas but also offers the first chance to test public opinion on Ms May's leadership after a turbulent period dominated by Brexit and the recent scandal over the treatment of Windrush generation.

Jeremy Corbyn will be hoping to build on Labour's surge in snap election through major gains in London, although the party's potential success could be hampered by the row over antisemitism in its ranks.

Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats are hoping their promise of a second referendum on Brexit could bear fruit, while the Greens are contesting nearly half of all seats.

Which areas are voting?

More than 4,000 council seats are up for grabs in some 150 council areas, including all 32 London boroughs and major metropolitan areas across the country such as Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle.

Mayoral elections are taking place in Hackney, Lewisham, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Watford and the Sheffield City region.

There will also be a by-election in West Tyrone, Northern Ireland, after Sinn Fein MP Barry McElduff resigned in January after being accused of mocking victims of the Troubles.

Where is my local polling station?

Voters are sent polling cards by their local council with details of their polling station, which tend to be venues such as churches, schools and community centres.

You can contact your local council to find your polling station or search online at wheredoivote, which will provide the address and directions.

It is not necessary to bring the card with you to vote, but you can contact your local council for information if you misplace it.

Bromley, Gosport, Swindon, Watford and Woking are all running voter ID pilots, where people will be asked to prove their identity before voting.

What time do the polls close?

The polls open at 7am and close at 10pm.

When do the results come in?

The first results are expected to start coming in from midnight in councils such as Broxbourne and Sunderland, with a steady stream of declarations expected from 2am.

Barnet, one of the key battlegrounds, will declare at 4am, while Kensington and Chelsea, the scene of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, will declare about 5am.

Results will continue to trickle in throughout Friday, with the final councils expected to declare around 7pm.

Where are the key battlegrounds?

All eyes will be on the north London borough of Barnet, where Labour had been hoping to make inroads. However the recent row over antisemitism in the party could have an impact on the polls among the area's large Jewish population.

Labour is also eyeing Wandsworth, which has been held by the Tories since 1978, and Westminster, which has been Conservative since it was created in the 1960s.

Councils to watch for the Tories include Portsmouth, Basildon, Thurrock, Peterborough and Colchester, while Kensington and Chelsea could prove interesting in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.

The Liberal Democrats will hope to hold onto their strongholds in areas such as Sutton and Cheltenham, as losses could put pressure on Vince Cable's leadership.