POLLS have opened across England, with Rishi Sunak set to face his first major electoral test since entering No10 just over six months ago.

The Prime Minister predicted a “hard night” for his party at the local elections, but said that the Conservatives were now moving away from “box set drama” politics.

The local elections are also likely to be the final set of polls before the next general election, with the results expected to give an indication of whether Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer could be on course for Downing Street.

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

Polls are also taking place to choose mayors in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough.

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 – which in 2023 is likely to mean the cost of living, the NHS and public services.

Many of the seats being contested this year were last up for election in 2019, when the UK was still in the European Union, the prime minister was Theresa May and Labour was led by Jeremy Corbyn.

Since then, the UK has had three further prime ministers – Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak – and these contests will be Mr Sunak’s first big electoral test.

He will hope to keep Tory losses to a minimum, while Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey will be judged on whether their parties are able to make gains at the expense of the Conservatives.

Across the country, smaller groups such as the Greens, residents’ associations and independents will hope to cause surprises and upsets.

Wirral has been pinpointed as one of the key battlegrounds with the Tories trailing heavily behind Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour in opinion polling leading up to today’s vote.

Wirral Council is one of the regions where all out votes are taking place. This means that every single one of the 66 council seats will be up for grabs in this election.

Three councillors will be elected in each of Wirral's 22 wards.

Wirral has been earmarked as one of Labour's key targets with the party needing 10 gains to turn minority control into overall control.

The Conservatives currently have 22 seats compared to Labour's 24, while the rest of the chamber has a broad range of representatives.

The Greens gained ground recently, with nine councillors, ahead of the Liberal Democrats on six. There are also four independent councillors.

Counting will take place at the Bidston Tennis Centre on Friday. Results are expected between 2pm and 5pm.

The party will also be disappointed if it fails to win a majority at Cheshire West & Chester. Since the last council election in 2019 it has been under no overall control but run by a minority Labour administration, which still retains the largest number of councillors with 33 to the Conservatives’ 28.  The remaining nine seats on the council are taken up by independents, Liberal Democrats and Greens.

Elections are not taking place in all parts of England this year. There are no contests in London and Birmingham, along with other areas including Cornwall, North Yorkshire and Cumbria.

It is the first time new voter ID rules have applied to all of England ahead of the change coming into force for UK general elections from October.

The policy means it will be compulsory for those showing up to polling stations to present photo identification to prove who they are before being handed a voting slip.

Critics of the move, instigated by Conservative ministers, argue it could deter young people and ethnic minorities from voting.