BBC Local has announced its coverage plans across TV, radio and online for 2026’s local elections, taking place in May and with most of the North’s major cities, including Manchester, Leeds, Sheffield and Newcastle, due to reelect at least some of their local representatives.
Live and local from the towns and cities where voters live and work, trusted BBC teams will look at how local government works, who is standing for election where and how to vote. Then, there will be live and local coverage from counts on local BBC radio stations as results come in on Friday 8th May.
BBC Local election coverage at a glance:
- Focus on local issues – BBC Local will focus on the issues that matter most to communities, such as housing, transport, Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) provision, social care, and the continuing cost-of-living pressures facing households across the country.
- Your Voice – The Your Voice initiative is back bringing contributions from real voters across England, reflecting the concerns of voices who are often underrepresented in traditional political reporting. In the final weeks of campaigning, Your Voice will also spotlight the everyday pressures facing working families.
- Easy to find and follow online pages – On the BBC website, easy-to-follow-information pages will be available for each of the major electoral areas involved. These regularly updated hubs will include local news, analysis and on-the-ground reporting.
- Trusted local faces and voices – As well as on local radio and TV, established BBC Local political editors and reporters can be seen and heard providing expertise and analysis across the BBC News network, helping national audiences understand all the big local issues too.
- Local people panels – The BBC will regularly turn to local people from its audiences in areas where all seats are up for election – including Bradford, Sunderland and Newcastle. These individuals will question local candidates and help reflect local voices and be heard across BBC Local radio, TV, social platforms and online.
- BBC Local focus on social care – 28 April – A dedicated day of coverage for the audience looking at social care pressures, covering care homes, waiting lists, staffing challenges, bed-blocking and the impact on the NHS. Across local radio, regional TV and digital, BBC Local brings together data analysis, visual journalism, live online news and coverage to tell the real story of social care where our audiences live and work in England.
Robert Thompson, interim director of BBC Local, said: “Through our comprehensive coverage across our online news pages, digital output, market-leading regional news bulletins on BBC One and 39 local radio stations, we aim to keep voters across England feeling informed and empowered when they get to the ballot box. We will spotlight the local issues that we know matter to our audiences where they live and bring their voices to our coverage throughout. We want to give voters a clear and easy-to-navigate picture of what local politics means for them and what’s at stake where they live.”
