Council elections are too often reported through the prism of national party politics with contests  being cast as tests for party leaders.   Undoubtedly the elections that take place on Thursday in 181 authorities – as well as the three mayoral battles in London, Liverpool and Salford – are influenced by the Westminster fortunes of parties and their leaders.   But more so than ever before local choices are centre-stage and here at the LGiU we will be listening to local voices tell the story of what these elections means in their local communities.

With the decline of local newspapers and growing centralisation from national broadcasters, much national coverage of the elections will resonate from agencies – feeding in observations and results when required. These are ok, but they often lack the insight and subtleties that come from someone who knows the area road-by-road and block-by-block.