All you need to know about the Hartlepool Borough Council local elections on May 4

Polling stations open at 7am on Thursday, May 4, with a third of seats on the local authority up for election, one in each of the area’s 12 wards.

Polls will close at 10pm, with the 44 candidates finding out if they are successful when the results come through in the early hours of Friday morning.

The council is currently made up of 13 Conservative councillors, 13 Labour members, two Hartlepool Independent Union representatives and eight independents.

It is led by a coalition between Conservative, Independent Union and some independent councillors.

This is because no single party has the 19 seats required to hold an overall majority.

Of the 12 seats up for election this year, four are currently held by Labour councillors and three by Conservatives, with the leaders of both parties defending their seats.

Of the remaining five positions, one is held by Independent Union representative Tim Fleming and the remaining four by independent councillors.

This includes the Fens and Greatham seat held by Angela Falconer, who resigned from the Conservative Party after the last council meeting in March.

If no single party has an overall majority after the elections then cross-party talks will be held over potential coalitions.

It is already known the local authority will have a new leader as Independent Union representative Councillor Shane Moore previously stated he will be standing down from the role.

*Our reporting team will be working throughout the early hours of Friday morning to bring you the election results first at www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk