VOTERS across Great Britain are heading to the polls today for the first large set of elections since December 2019.

There is a bumper crop of elections this time, as many were postponed from last May because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Every adult in England, Scotland and Wales will be able to cast at least one vote, which is rare outside a general election.

Estimated declaration times have always come with a warning they could be taken only as a rough guide and were subject to change in the light of new information, PA Media reports. 

However, in the case of the May 2021 elections, they have been especially difficult to produce because of the circumstances of the pandemic, as authorities are unsure how long it will take to count votes while keeping to social distancing requirements.

Although voting ends at 10pm on Thursday, the final results are not expected until Monday.

In the closely watched Scottish Parliament election, there are 73 first-past-the-post (FPTP) constituencies and eight regional proportional representation top-up seats, electing a total of 129 MSPs in a crucial contest which will give an indication of the level of support for the SNP’s push for a fresh vote on independence.

A majority of FPTP seats, 46 in all, are expected to count during the day on Friday, with results due from about lunchtime, peaking in the evening.

They include Aberdeen Central, Aberdeen Donside, Aberdeenshire East, Airdrie and Shotts (where there is an estimated declaration time of noon), Angus North and Mearns (estimated time of 3.3pm), Argyll & Bute (5pm), Ayr (4pm), Banffshire & Buchan Coast, Clackmannanshire & Dunblane (6pm), Clydebank & Milngavie and Coatbridge & Chryston (noon).

Also on Friday, declarations are expected in Cowdenbeath (1pm), Cunninghame North, Cunninghame South, Dumbarton, Dundee City West, East Lothian, Eastwood (4pm), Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh Southern, Edinburgh Western, Ettrick, Roxburgh & Berwickshire (6.30pm) and Falkirk East.

The results are expected on Friday for Fife North East (4pm), Glasgow Anniesland, Glasgow Maryhill & Springburn, Glasgow Pollo, Glasgow Southside, Greenock & Inverclyde, Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse, Inverness & Nairn (7pm), Kilmarnock &Irvine Valley (5pm), Kirkcaldy (1pm), Linlithgow, Midlothian North & Musselburgh (5.30pm) and Moray.

And Motherwell & Wishaw, Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Orkney Islands, Paisley (6pm), Perthshire North, Renfrewshire North & West, Rutherglen, Shetland Islands, Stirling, and Strathkelvin & Bearsden are also expected to declare on Friday.

The remaining 27 FPTP constituencies are understood to be planning to count in the day on Saturday with results due from about lunchtime.

They include Aberdeen South & Kincardine North, Aberdeenshire West, Almond Valley, Angus South, Caithness, Sutherland & Ross, Carrick, Cumnock & Doon Valley (5pm), Clydesdale, Cumbernauld & Kilsyth, Dumfriesshire, Dundee City East, Dunfermline (1pm), East Kilbride, Edinburgh Eastern, Edinburgh Northern & Leith, Edinburgh Pentlands, Falkirk West, Fife Mid & Glenrothes (1pm) and Galloway & Dumfries West.

Glasgow Cathcart, Glasgow Kelvin, Glasgow Provan, Glasgow Shettleston, Midlothian South, Tweeddale & Lauderdale (6.30pm), Perthshire South & Kinross-shire, Renfrewshire South (3pm), Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch, and Uddingston & Bellshill are all also expected to declare on Saturday.

Results from the eight regional PR top-up seats are expected on Saturday night, with Scotland Mid and Fife possibly around 6pm, and Scotland West at 7pm.

The Leader: Constituency Members are chosen using the first-past-the-post system. This means, the person who gets most votes is elected, and represents you and your constituency in the Senedd.Constituency Members are chosen using the first-past-the-post system. This means, the person who gets most votes is elected, and represents you and your constituency in the Senedd.

In Wales, voting is in 40 FPTP constituencies and five regional PR top-up seats, and counting is due to take place in the day on Friday, with results from FPTP seats expected from about 3pm and peaking about 5pm.

Potential estimated declaration times include Arfon (4pm), Bridgend (5pm), Carmarthen West & Pembrokeshire South (6pm), Clwyd South (7pm), Ogmore (5pm), Vale of Clwyd (2pm) and Wrexham (7pm).

Results from the five regional PR top-up seats are expected later on Friday night.

In London, results from seven FPTP seats may be declared on Friday evening – Bexley & Bromley, Brent & Harrow, Ealing & Hillingdon, Havering & Redbridge, Lambeth & Southwark, North East and West Central.

The remaining seven FPTP seats will be declared on Saturday afternoon and evening, for Barnet & Camden, City & East, Croydon & Sutton, Enfield & Haringey, Greenwich & Lewisham, Merton and Wandsworth, and South West.

The results of the London mayor election, where Sadiq Khan is the bookies’ favourite to retain City Hall, and the London-wide PR top-up seat may come late on Saturday. but could be on Sunday.

There are 12 other mayoral contests taking place in England, with Doncaster counting overnight with the result expected early on Friday morning.

Liverpool is counting during the day on Friday, with the result expected possibly at 2.30pm, with the Tees Valley result at around 5pm.

Eight counts are understood to be planned for Saturday, with results due from about noon – Bristol; Greater Manchester; Liverpool City Region (possibly 12.30pm); North Tyneside (noon); Salford; West of England; West Midlands; and Cambridgeshire & Peterborough.

The Bristol mayoral result is expected in the evening, perhaps around 6pm, following the result of the West of England regional mayoral poll, which could be at noon, while the West Yorkshire count is expected during the day on Sunday.

Elections take place at 143 English councils, with 17 expected to count overnight, with results due early on Friday – Colchester (4.30am); Derby (4am); Dudley (5am); Gateshead (2am); Harlow (3am); Knowsley (3am); Newcastle-upon-Tyne (2am); Northumberland (5am); Nuneaton & Bedworth (4.30am); Oldham (4am); Redditch (3am); Rochdale (2.30am); Rochford (4am); Southend-on-Sea (4am); South Tyneside (4.30am) Stockport (6am); Sunderland (3am); Thurrock (2am).

A majority of the councils, 74 in all, are understood to be counting during the day on the Friday, with most results expected in the afternoon and evening.

They include Barnsley (4pm); Basildon (4pm); Bolton (2pm); Brentwood (5pm); Burnley (1am); Bury (4pm); Cambridge (5pm); Cambridgeshire (5pm); Castle Point (1pm); Chorley (3pm); Cornwall (4pm); Coventry (5pm); Crawley (5pm); Derbyshire (3pm); Devon (noon); Doncaster (5pm); East Sussex (6pm); Elmbridge (5pm); Epping Forest (5pm); Essex (5pm); Exeter (4pm); Gloucestershire (4pm); Halton (4pm); Hampshire (6pm); Hart (5pm); Hastings (6pm); Havant (5pm); and Hyndburn (5pm).

Results are also expected on Friday for Ipswich (3.30pm); Isle of Wight ((5pm); Kent (5pm); Kingston-upon-Hill (7pm); Leicestershire (5pm); Lincoln (8pm); Lincolnshire (5pm); Liverpool (6pm); Maidstone (4pm); Manchester (2pm); North East Lincolnshire (4.30pm); North Northamptonshire (8pm); Nottinghamshire (4.30pm); Pendle (5pm); Peterborough (5pm); Plymouth (5pm); Preston (3pm); and Reading (5pm).

Reigate and Banstead (6pm); Rossendale (2.30pm); Runnymede (7pm); Rushmoor (5.30pm); Salford (5pm); Sandwell (5pm); Sefton (3pm); Sheffield (3.30pm); Solihull (4.30pm); St Helens (5pm); Suffolk (4pm); Surrey (5pm); Swindon (5pm); Tameside (4pm); Three Rovers (5pm); Trafford (3pm); Wakefield (9.30pm); Walsall (5.30pm); Warwickshire ((7pm); West Northamptonshire (9pm); Wigan (2pm); Wirral (6pm); Woking (6pm) and Wokingham (5pm) are all also counting on Friday.

Four councils are expected to count on Friday evening, with results that night: Mole Valley (11pm); Norfolk (after 9pm); Tandridge (10pm); and Worcestershire (11pm).

Two councils are understood to be planning to start counting on Friday and to continue in the day on Saturday: Durham (5pm) and Shropshire (9.30pm).

A total of 35 councils are expected to count on the Saturday, with most results in the afternoon and evening: Bradford (5pm); Broxbourne (1pm); Buckinghamshire (4pm); Calderdale (5pm); Cannock Chase (3pm); Cheltenham (4pm); Eastleigh (2pm); Fareham (5pm); Gloucester (4pm); Gosport (5pm); Hartlepool (5pm); Hertfordshire (1pm); Kirklees (5pm); Lancashire (2pm); Leeds (6pm); Milton Keynes (4pm); North Tyneside (2.30pm); Norwich (5pm); Oxford (2pm); Portsmouth (5pm); Rotherham (5pm); Slough (7pm); Southampton (5pm); Staffordshire (4pm); Stevenage (8pm); Stroud (5pm); Tamworth (5pm); Tunbridge Wells (4pm); Warrington (6.30pm); Watford (5pm); Welwyn Hatfield (8pm); West Sussex (6pm); Wiltshire (5pm); Winchester (5pm); and Worcester (noon).

Ten councils are due to count on the Sunday, with results in the afternoon and evening: Adur (noon); Amber Valley (4pm); Basingstoke & Deane (5pm); Bristol (4pm); Cherwell (6pm); North Hertfordshire (5pm); Oxfordshire (2.30pm); St Albans (2pm); West Oxfordshire (7pm); and Worthing (noon).

Finally, there are elections for 39 Police and Crime Commissioners (PCC) in England and Wales, with counts for six expected during the day on Friday, with results in the afternoon and evening: Avon & Somerset (not before 5pm); Bedfordshire (5pm); Cleveland (2pm); and Staffordshire; North Yorkshire (1.30pm); and Dorset.

Derbyshire is understood to be starting counting from 3pm on Friday with a result due around 7pm.

Thirteen counts are due to take place during the day on Saturday, with results from about lunchtime into the evening: Durham (1pm); Essex (2pm); Humberside; Leicestershire; Lincolnshire; Merseyside (5pm); Norfolk; Northumbria; Nottinghamshire (4pm); Cambridgeshire; Cheshire; Surrey; and West Midlands.

Three of the four Welsh PCC counts are expected to be during the day on Sunday: Dyfed-Powys; Gwent; and North Wales. The South Wales count may also take place then.

Fifteen counts are due during the day on Monday, with results in the afternoon and evening: Devon & Cornwall (2pm); Gloucestershire (2pm); Hampshire (2pm); Hertfordshire; Kent; Lancashire; Cumbria; Northamptonshire; South Yorkshire (1.30pm); Suffolk; Sussex; Thames Valley (4pm); Warwickshire (3pm); Wiltshire (1pm); and West Mercia.