Seven key battlegrounds to watch at the 2023 local elections

And just like that, the local elections have rolled around once again. On Thursday 4 May, 230 councils will be going to the polls: over 8,000 seats are up for grabs in England, including 3,365 currently held by Tories and 2,131 by Labour councillors. It will be Rishi Sunak’s first big test, with both parties viewing it as a ‘dry run’ ahead of the general election next year. The impact of the new voter ID laws will be scrutinised closely too.

The last time these seats were up for election was in 2019, when both parties suffered a bad night. Labour now have a commanding 15-point lead and are predicted to make gains of between 400 to 700 seats while Tory expectations are low, with estimates of losses ranging from 500 to 1,000 councillors. 

Much of the media attention will be focused on a mix of ‘Blue Wall’ strongholds targeted by the Liberal Democrats in the south of England and ‘Red Wall’ areas in the north of the country which should swing back to Labour.