Voters have chance to show parties real mood of the nation

THE POLITICAL stakes are as high as they've ever been as we count down to May 1, when millions will vote in elections that could reshape UK politics. Leaders of all the main political parties will be feeling the pressure and hoping for the best, but fearing the worst.

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There will be elections in 23 of England's 317 local authorities. This includes county council elections in Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Kent, Lancashire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire and Worcester-shire. There are unitary authority elections in Buckinghamshire, Cornwall, County Durham, North Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Shropshire, West Northamptonshire and Wiltshire.

Plus, there's a metropolitan district council election in Doncaster. Voters there will also get to choose a new mayor along with those in North Tyneside. There are metro mayoral elections for the West of England, Cambridge and Peterborough, Hull and East Yorkshire and Greater Lincolnshire. And, finally, voters in Runcorn and Helsby will go to the polls in a by-election after the previous Labour MP quit following a suspended prison sentence for punching a constituent. Phew!

The geographic spread is vast and these polls will serve as a solid indicator of the country's current political temperature.