What to look out for at the local elections

As voters nationwide prepare to go to the polls for a highly anticipated set of local elections, this week we have a special episode giving you a guide to the key results, when to expect them, how to interpret them, and what might happen next.With around 5,000 council seats in England up for grabs on 7 May, along with six mayoralties, every seat at Holyrood and in the newly expanded Senedd, the Labour Party is braced for an extremely painful evening, which will likely put renewed pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer's leadership over the weekend.At the same time, the Conservatives' electoral woes are expected to continue, in what would be a reminder of the work leader Kemi Badenoch has to do to repair the party's brand following its heavy general election defeat in 2024.Meanwhile, signs point to the UK's insurgent smaller parties, Nigel Farage's Reform UK and Zack Polanski's Greens, winning many hundreds of seats across the country, while there are also expected to be gains for Liberal Democrats and independent candidates, further demonstrating Britain's shift to multi-party politics.To discuss all of that and more, host Alain Tolhurst, is joined by Luke Tryl, UK Director at think tank More in Common, along with Dr Hannah Bunting, Senior Lecturer at Exeter University and co-director of The Elections Centre, alongside PoliticsHome's editor Adam Payne and The House magazine's deputy editor Sienna Rodgers.To sign up for our newsletters click herePresented by Alain Tolhurst, produced by Nick Hilton and edited by Ewan Cameron for Podot