PA normally aims to provide estimated declaration times for each council or constituency based on forecasts obtained from councils. In cases where councils have not been prepared to give a forecast or would give only a broad time range, the estimate would be based on actual historic times where possible. The estimates always came with a warning they could be taken only as a rough guide and were subject to change in the light of new information.
However, in the case of the May 2021 elections, estimates have been very difficult to produce because of the circumstances of the pandemic. Authorities are even more reluctant than usual to provide guidance and the effect of delays caused by Covid 19 safety measures are hard to quantify.
The following general outline of the flow of results for the various polls is being provided for planning purposes. PA customers wanting more detailed information should contact the Elections Desk.
Commons by-election – Hartlepool (1 seat): Counting is due to take place overnight on Thursday-Friday, with the resulted expected possibly around 4am on Friday.
Scottish Parliament (73 first-past-the-post constituencies and eight regional PR top-up seats):
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.
The remaining 27 FPTP constituencies are understood to be planning to count in the day on Saturday with results due from about lunchtime.
Results from the eight regional PR top-up seats are expected on Saturday night.
Welsh Senedd/Parliament (40 FPTP constituencies and five regional PR top-up seats):
Counting is due to take place in the day on Friday, with results from FPTP seats expected from about 3pm and peaking about 5pm.
Results from the five regional PR top-up seats are expected later on Friday night.
London Mayor and Assembly (14 FPTP constituencies and one London-wide PR top-up seat):
Counting is expected to start in the day on Friday and continue in the day on Saturday. Results from seven FPTP seats may be declared on Friday evening, with the remaining seven on Saturday afternoon and evening.
The results of the London Mayor election and the London-wide PR top-up seat may come late on Saturday.
Other mayors (12):
One mayoral election count is taking place overnight, with result expected early on Friday: Doncaster.
One count is due during the day on Friday, with the result expected early afternoon: Liverpool.
Seven counts are understood to be planned for Saturday, with results due from about noon: Bristol; Greater Manchester; Liverpool City Region; North Tyneside; Salford; West of England; West Midlands. Note the Bristol mayoral result is expected in the evening, following the result of the West of England regional mayoral poll.
One count is expected during the day on Sunday: West Yorkshire.
Timings for two counts have not yet been confirmed: Cambridgeshire & Peterborough; Tees Valley.
English councils (143):
The following 19 councils are expected to count overnight, with results due early on Friday: Colchester; Derby; Dudley; Gateshead; Harlow; Knowsley; Newcastle-upon-Tyne; Northumberland; Nuneaton & Bedworth; Oldham; Redditch; Rochdale; Rochford; Southend-on-Sea; South Tyneside; Stevenage; Stockport; Sunderland; Thurrock.
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.
Four councils are expected to count on the Friday evening, with results that night: Mole Valley, Rugby, Tandridge and Worcestershire.
Two councils are understood to be planning to start counting on Friday and to continue in the day on Saturday: Durham and Shropshire.
Thirty-four councils are expected to count on the Saturday, with most results in the afternoon and evening: Bradford; Broxbourne; Buckinghamshire; Calderdale; Cannock Chase; Cheltenham; Eastleigh; Fareham; Gloucester; Gosport; Hartlepool; Hertfordshire; Kirklees; Lancashire; Leeds; Milton Keynes; North Tyneside; Norwich; Oxford; Portsmouth; Rotherham; Slough; Southampton; Staffordshire; Stroud; Tamworth; Tunbridge Wells; Warrington; Watford; Welwyn Hatfield; West Sussex; Wiltshire; Winchester; Worcester.
Ten councils are due to count on the Sunday, with results in the afternoon and evening: Adur; Amber Valley; Basingstoke & Deane; Bristol; Cherwell; North Hertfordshire; Oxfordshire; St Albans; West Oxfordshire; Worthing.
Police and Crime Commissioners (39):
Counts for five police areas are expected during the day on Friday, with results in the afternoon and evening: Avon & Somerset; Bedfordshire; Cleveland; North Yorkshire; Staffordshire.
One count is understood to be taking place from 3pm on Friday with a result due around 7pm: Derbyshire.
Thirteen counts are due to take place during the day on Saturday, with results from about lunchtime into the evening: Durham; Essex; Humberside; Leicestershire; Lincolnshire; Merseyside; Norfolk; Northumbria; Nottinghamshire; Cambridgeshire; Cheshire; Surrey; West Midlands.
Three of the four Welsh PCC counts are expected to be during the day on Sunday: Dyfed-Powys; Gwent; 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; Gloucestershire; Hampshire; Hertfordshire; Kent; Lancashire; Cumbria; Northamptonshire; South Yorkshire; Suffolk; Sussex; Thames Valley; Warwickshire; West Mercia; Wiltshire.
Timings for one count have not yet been confirmed: Dorset.