Dudley Election Day Opens 161 Local Polling Station Sites

Dudley voters head to a local polling station on May 7 as 25 council seats are decided across the borough. The vote covers 161 polling stations open from 7am to 10pm, with residents required to use the station shown on their voting card and bring photo identification if they vote in person.

Dudley Council on May 7

Twenty-five places in the council chamber are being contested, including one seat left vacant after Cat Eccles stood down from the authority. Dudley Council has 72 councillors in 24 wards, with three councillors in each ward, so one councillor from every ward is up for election alongside the vacant seat.

The result matters because the Conservative Party currently runs the council with 33 councillors but does not hold an overall majority. Labour has 23 councillors and is the largest opposition group. The Black Country Party has six elected members, the Liberal Democrats have five councillors, Reform UK has three councillors and there is one independent councillor.

Polling cards and photo ID

Voters can only cast their ballot at the polling station listed on the voting card delivered to their home around a month before polling day. People voting in person must show a valid form of photo identification, including a passport, a photo driving licence, an older person's bus pass funded by the UK government or a voter authority certificate.

That leaves little room for error on the day. Anyone heading out to vote needs to check the card, carry acceptable ID and go to the assigned station before 10pm.

Count Through May 8

Votes cast on polling day will be counted with postal votes already received. Results will be declared throughout the night and into the early hours of May 8, giving a live read on whether the Conservatives can hold their position without a majority while other groups try to shift the balance.