THE main battlegrounds for the council elections today are Labour’s urban strongholds where David Cameron is desperate to make a breakthrough.

The elections have added importance this time because of Labour’s disastrous week and because they will be the first test of Mr Cameron’s leadership of the Tory party.

But the timetable for the election results means that political anoraks will have to stay up until after dawn to get a true feel for the results, with many London seats declaring between 3am and 6am.

Political experts are predicting poor results for Labour, particularly in London, and that the Liberal Democrats will be the main beneficiaries nationwide. While the Tories are set to win councils in London, they may still be unable to boast even one councillor in Manchester, Liverpool or Newcastle, where they now have no representation at all.

The great unknown is how low the turnout will be. Lower turnout is worse for Labour and anything below 30 per cent could prove disastrous. The other key factor is how the minority parties and independent candidates will fare.

Some of the key councils to watch tonight include: Manchester, where the Tories are hoping to get their first councillor for ten years; Hammersmith and Fulham, which the Tories hope to gain from Labour; Barnsley, where the independents could take control; Tower Hamlets, where George Galloway’s Respect party could prosper; Barking and Dagenham, where the BNP could do well; and Hull, where the Liberal Democrats could benefit from John Prescott’s affair.

Some 4,360 council seats out of a total 19,579 townhall seats are up for election. Some authorities have only a third of their seats on offer.

Outside London, a third of the seats are up in the 36 metropolitan districts and 20 unitary authorities. A third are up in eighty-one district councils and half the seats in seven.

Although only 176 of the 386 councils will have elections today, these include all 32 London boroughs where all 1,861 seats are being contested for the first time since 2002.

The elections in the capital will be the first since the Iraq war, although this issue does not seem to be playing strongly on the doorsteps. But London councils are the most likely to change hands tonight because many of the seats are only held by tens of votes. There are also elections for four directly elected mayors in Hackney, Lewisham, Newham and Watford. There are no elections in Scotland or Wales.

The Tories now have 57 of the councils being contested; Labour has 47; the Liberal Democrats 12; and independents one. Fifty-nine councils are under no overall control. In London the Tories have eight councils; Labour has 15; and the Liberal Democrats have three.

VOTER'S GUIDE

How do I find out if my council is up for election today?

Look up on the website aboutmyvote.co.uk and put in your full postcode. The site will tell you your local election office and you should ring it to find out where your polling station is

Am I eligible to vote?

You are eligible to vote if you are 18 or over and you are registered on the electoral roll

When can I vote?

You can vote at polling stations between 7am and 10pm, an hour earlier and later than normal

What do I do at the polling station?

Tell the staff inside your name and address so they can check that you are on the electoral register. You can show them your poll card, but you do not need it to vote

What happens if I have a postal vote but have forgotten to post it?

You can take it to your council before it closes or to the polling station before 10pm

What happens if I never received a postal ballot or it was damaged?

You can get a replacement ballot paper from your council till 5pm today. You must hand it in to the polling station by 10pm

What happens if I am ill?

You can get a proxy vote, enabling someone else to vote on your behalf by 5pm today, but this can only be used for medical emergencies

What do I do if I think my vote has been tampered with or stolen?

You should report it to the local police or local council

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