Coventry's consequential election and decision time in Warwickshire

Coventry faces its most consequential local election in more than 20 years.

Every single one of the 54 seats on Coventry City Council is up for grabs for the first time since 2004. A rare reset which puts full control on the line.

The last time that happened, Labour lost control of the authority. And since this council was formed in 1974, there have been just five years when Labour has not run the show.

That shows how seismic these votes can be.

In Warwickshire, there are two elections taking place for the soon to be scrapped borough councils in Rugby and Nuneaton and Bedworth.

The elections take place on Thursday 7 May, with results expected to come throughout the day on Friday 8 May.

The reason every seat is up for grabs is due to boundary changes in the city.

Boundaries are the borders which define which area of the city you are classed as living in. These have been redrawn, redefining voting areas - known as wards.

There are 18 wards in Coventry and each elects three councillors. A body called the Local Boundary Commission for England is tasked with ensuring every ward represents a similar number of voters.

The Commission presented plans to change the boundaries to the public and ultimately to the government which signed them off.

The all-out election that now needs to be held as a consequence is different from the usual electoral system in Coventry, which will return after May's voting.

That method sees one in three councillors up for election at any given time. They serve four-year terms. To make the maths work, the council does not hold an election every fourth year.

Actually, not a lot has significantly changed in Coventry. The main thing is the redrawing of boundaries in the Tile Hill, Canley and Westwood Heath areas of the city.

The ward known as Westwood no longer exists and has been replaced by a new ward called Tile Hill and Canley.

People living in the Westwood Heath area will now find they are part of the Wainbody ward.

There are some shifts of boundaries in other areas of the city too.

Labour occupies 39 of the 54 seats and controls the council.

A party needs to win 28 seats to gain overall control.

The Conservatives are the main opposition with 10 seats. The Green Party and Independent Alliance group has three councillors, while Reform holds two seats after two councillors defected from the Conservative Party.

Labour also suffered a defection last year, with a member choosing to serve as an independent.

After much debate and political fallout, which cost one leader his job, elections will take place for Rugby Borough Council and Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council.

These councils are known as lower tier authorities – dealing with community-focused issues like waste collection and planning decisions.

They sit below the upper tier Warwickshire County Council – which delivers strategic county-wide services like education and highways.

By 2028, the Government plans to scrap every one of the six councils in Warwickshire and replace them with either one or two larger single-tier authorities.

This means councillors elected in May's voting will not serve full four-year terms.

In Nuneaton and Bedworth, half of the 38 seats are up for grabs.

Labour currently leads the council as the largest party, with 18 seats. But it does not have an overall majority, which means it needs the help of other parties to get decisions through.

The other parties are the Conservatives with 17 seats, the Green Party with two and the Liberal Democrats with one.

Reform UK enjoyed success in this area of Warwickshire during last year's county council election and are targeting seats at this election.

In Rugby, just a third of the seats are being contested.

The current make-up sees Labour lead the council in a minority administration supported by the Liberal Democrats. They have 15 and one councillors respectively.

The Conservatives are the largest party with 16 councillors. There is one vacant seat.

A full list of who is standing in the elections in your area will be published on your local council's website along with details of how and where you can vote.

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