Birmingham council election 2022: when will it take place, deadline for registering to vote and postal votes

The 2022 local elections are less than a month away, and people in Birmingham and surrounding areas will be given the chance to vote on who they want to run aspects of their city.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the elections at Birmingham City Council, Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council and Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council.

All 101 seats in all 69 wards of Birmingham City Council will be contested, as will the 24 wards of Sandwell which are represented by 72 councillors.

Solihull Council has 17 wards and one councillor in each ward will be voted in on 5 May.

When is the 2022 local election?

Local elections take place up to every four years, but not all of them take place at the same time.

The local election in Birmingham will take place on Thursday, 5 May, the same day as elections in many other council areas across much of the UK.

How to make sure you are eligible to vote?

There is a specific criteria that must be met in order for you to be eligible to vote.

This can vary slightly depending on which area of the UK you live in.

To be able to vote in the local elections in Birmingham you must be aged 18 or over.

You must also be one of the following:

• a British citizen
• an Irish or EU citizen living in the UK
• a Commonwealth citizen who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, or who does not need permission
• a citizen of another country living in Scotland or Wales who has permission to enter or stay in the UK, or who does not need permission.

To register to vote, visit the UK government website.

If you are voting in person, you should be sent a polling card in the days before the election to inform you of where your polling station is.

Alternatively, you can use Democracy Club’s polling station finder to find your polling station.

The deadline for registering to vote in the 2022 local election is 14 April.

Can I vote by post?

Like with general elections, it is possible to vote in next month’s local elections by post.

If you wish to apply for a postal vote for the 2022 local elections, your application must be with your local electoral registration office by 5pm on 19 April.

Once registered for a postal vote, you will receive a ballot card. On the card, you must clearly fill in who you wish to vote for.

When filling out the card, you must also fill in the postal vote statement, put the ballot and statement in the envelope provided for you and seal the envelope yourself.

It is also asked that you fill in the ballot paper yourself.

What are the key dates for the 2022 local election?

The full list of the key dates between now and election day have been confirmed.

These are listed below.

• Publication of Statement of persons nominated - Wednesday 6 April 4pm
• Last Date for Registration - Thursday 14 April
• Receipt of Postal Vote applications - Thursday 19 April
• Publication of Notice of Poll - Tuesday 26 April
• Receipt of Proxy Vote Applications - Tuesday 26 April at 5pm
• Appointment of Poll and Count Agents - Wednesday 27 April 
• First Day to Issue Replacement Lost Postal Ballot Papers - Thursday 28 April 
• Last Day to Issue Replacement Spoil or Lost Postal Ballot Papers - Thursday 5 May at 5pm
• Receipt of Emergency Proxy Vote Applications - Thursday 5 May at 5pm
• Day of Poll - Thursday 5 May from 7am-10pm
• Count - Thursday 5 May after 10pm

Who are the local candidates standing for election?

The full list of all candidates standing in the 2022 local elections for the three councils has been published.

For the council relevant to you, visit the websites below.

Birmingham City Council

Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council