More than 2,600 council seats across 107 councils are up for grabs in England, alongside 11 mayoral elections, a parliamentary seat and police and crime commissioners throughout England and Wales.
Polls opened at 7am and closed at 10pm.
Local elections: Follow the results live
Sky News will be covering the results overnight with a special programme hosted by Jonathan Samuels beginning at midnight, and coverage into the weekend.
The results unfolding in the next hours and days will give an indicator of public opinion on the political parties as the UK heads towards a general election.
Labour is hoping to make gains across the country, while the Conservatives will hope to minimise losses as they sit around 20 points behind the opposition in the polls.
Keen attention will be paid to the mayoral races being held in the West Midlands and the Tees Valley - Red Wall seats that the Conservatives won under Boris Johnson with mayors Andy Street and Lord Ben Houchen respectively.
Losses there could prove difficult for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak - with rumours that if both turn red it could spark a leadership contest.
Labour's Sadiq Khan is hoping to win a record third term as the mayor of London, running against the Conservative's Susan Hall, with 25 seats on the London Assembly also up for grabs.
Read more on local elections:
What does victory and defeat look like - Beth Rigby
How key areas are predicted to vote - Sam Coates
There are further mayoral elections in the East Midlands, Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, the North East, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire and York & North Yorkshire. An election is also taking place for the Salford city mayor.
A parliamentary by-election is taking place in Blackpool South to replace the former Conservative MP Scott Benton, who left parliament following a lobbying scandal.
The Tories are defending a majority of 3,690 - much smaller than several of those overturned by Labour in recent years.
In total, 37 police and crime commissioners are being elected across England and Wales - although two of those PCC roles are being absorbed into a mayor's responsibilities, in South Yorkshire and York & North Yorkshire.
Speaking on the Political Currency podcast, former Conservative chancellor George Osborne said losing the West Midlands would be "pretty bad" for Mr Sunak, while losing the Tees Valley would be "armageddon".
"There will be people in the Conservative Parliamentary Party saying, 'Change course, change leader'," he said, adding: "You would never have guessed 20 years ago that the future of the Tory leadership would depend on how people are voting in Teesside. But I think right now, that is the case."
The last time these council elections took place, the then prime minister Boris Johnson was riding high in the polls following the success of the vaccine rollout - taking his party to their best performance in the locals since 2008.
Transport Secretary Mark Harper said it was going to be "difficult to achieve on that".
Asked if this was an admission the party is less popular under Mr Sunak than it was under Mr Johnson, Mr Harper said it was the context of having a "vaccine bounce" and coming out of the pandemic that made the party popular in 2021.
And Mr Sunak was at the time "the chancellor, who found the money to pay for rolling the vaccine out".
In last year's local elections - which were for different areas - Labour snatched key battlegrounds from the Conservatives but not at a rate high enough to indicate the opposition was on course to win if a general election took place.
This key metric, known as National Equivalent Vote (NEV), will be tracked over the weekend by Sky News election analyst Professor Michael Thrasher.
Asked what success would look like, Labour's shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden said his party is looking at the Blackpool South by-election "which is the only result where Rishi Sunak and the government are really on the ballot paper".
A win there will show "real progress", Mr McFadden said.
Asked about his party's prospects in Tees Valley and the West Midlands, the veteran Labour MP said the Tories hanging on would "only be because they put as much distance as possible between themselves and Rishi Sunak and the Conservative Party brand".
The Liberal Democrats will also hope to pick up some wins after targeting so-called Blue Wall areas that traditionally vote Conservative.
Speaking after the polls closed, party leader Sir Ed Davey said: "The message across the country today was loud and clear. Voters want an end to this appalling Conservative government.
"That is why, up and down the country, so many lifelong Conservative voters backed the Liberal Democrats today, because they know Liberal Democrat councillors will never take them for granted and fight for the issues they care about."
How many seats/councils are parties defending?
The Conservatives are defending 985 seats, Labour 965 and the Liberal Democrats 410.
The Greens hold 107 seats, while independents have 112 and other parties the remaining 57.
Labour currently has majority control in 45 of the 107 councils. The Conservatives control 18 and the Lib Dems 10.
Just under a third, 34 councils, are under no overall control.
Key battlegrounds
When it comes to councils, areas to watch out for include Hyndburn, Milton Keynes, Norwich, Tamworth, Reigate and Banstead, Hull, Walsall, Colchester, Stockport, Sheffield, Solihull, North East Lincolnshire, Lincoln, Peterborough, Rugby and Thurrock.
Sky News and YouGov asked around 9,000 people how they intend to vote, and used this to forecast how these will change.
Labour looks set to make a number of gains - although some races are too close to call.
Follow our live coverage of the election results from midnight - find the full details here

Sources told Sky News' political correspondent Tamara Cohen they did "not expect to hold" the seat - which they won with a 3,690 majority in 2019.
And they said the "stars could not be more aligned against us" following scandals hitting local MPs.
Follow live: Tories braced for potentially difficult night in local elections
The by-election was called after the former Conservative MP Scott Benton was caught in a sting by the Times newspaper, suggesting he was willing to break lobbying rules for money.
As a result, he was suspended from the Commons for 35 days, meaning he was subject to a recall petition in his constituency.
But instead of facing removal from his seat, Mr Benton resigned from parliament, triggering a vote for a new MP.
In an added painful twist for the Tories, the candidate standing to replace him, David Jones, was revealed as the chairman of the Fylde Conservatives - the area represented by the latest scandal hit MP Mark Menzies.
Mr Menzies hit the headlines after claims he misused campaign funds - including by calling a member of the local association to say he was locked in a flat by "bad people" and needed £5,000 as a matter of "life and death".
Mr Jones denied he knew anything about the incident - which was allegedly reported to the Conservative Party three months ago - until it was revealed in the media.
Labour sources told Sky News they were confident of a win in Blackpool South, despite it being a seat held by the Tories for 57 of the 78 years it has existed.
However, Labour did hold the constituency between 1997 and 2019 - before Boris Johnson and the Conservatives won over a number of the so-called Red Wall seats in the north of England.
At the by-election, Labour claimed their activists on the doorsteps reported large numbers of former Tory voters saying they would be voting Labour for the first time.
The by-election comes at the same time as a range of local council, mayoral, and police and crime commissioner votes across both England and Wales.
Tory sources told Tamara Cohen they were expecting to lose upwards of 500 seats, which would be a big blow to the party ahead of a general election.
But Labour sources claimed the number would be far fewer - despite the party bounding ahead of the Conservatives in national polling.
Speaking to Sky News late on Thursday night, Labour Party chair Anneliese Dodds would not put a number on how many council seats would be a good result for her, saying: "I think the key thing is going to be to see whether Labour is moving forward in those areas where it's really critical that we build support before the next general election."
Follow our live coverage of the election results from midnight - find the full details here.

A large group of demonstrators, many with their faces covered, surrounded the vehicle and linked arms near the Best Western Hotel in Peckham, southeast London, earlier in the day.
Several people sat down in the road in front of the coach, which had a flat tyre, and some demonstrators were removed by officers.
Police said they were called at around 8.40am to reports of people obstructing a coach, which was parked outside the hotel.
The Metropolitan Police said 45 people were arrested and taken into police custody for offences including obstruction of the highway, obstructing police and assault on police.
The coach, which was supposed to take seven asylum seekers to the barge, left the scene without them onboard.
Laurence Smith, from the charity Lewisham Donation Hub, said the asylum seekers were now being supported by the protesters at the organisation's base in Lewisham.
In footage from the scene in Peckham, protesters could be heard chanting "no borders, no nations, stop deportations".
Sky News correspondent Sadiya Chowdhury said the incident was "descending into utter chaos".
"Protesters surrounded that coach, they didn't let it leave. Eventually, when it did leave, it left empty," she said.
The Bibby Stockholm, moored at Portland in Dorset, has been used since last August as ministers sought to find alternatives to hotel accommodation for those waiting for decisions on their asylum applications.
But the vessel has been plagued with issues - including an outbreak of Legionella bacteria on board - and in December, police confirmed one of the people on board had died, with reports suggesting the man had taken his own life.
In February, MPs warned of "claustrophobic" conditions on board the vessel which could amount to a breach of asylum seekers' human rights.
Home Secretary James Cleverly said on Thursday: "Housing migrants in hotels costs the British taxpayer millions of pounds every day.
"We will not allow this small group of students, posing for social media, to deter us from doing what is right for the British public."
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In a statement posted on X, the Metropolitan Police said: "Police were called at around 8.40am to reports of a group of protesters near a hotel in Peckham Road SE15.
"There were reports that a coach had been obstructed by people and bicycles."
Met Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said: "My officers were quickly on scene and have engaged with the protesters at length.
"My officers had warned the group that obstructing the highway, and obstructing police, are criminal offences and that they could be arrested."

Marcus Aurelio Arduini Monzo, a Spanish-Brazilian national, is charged with murdering Daniel Anjorin, who was stabbed on his way to school on Tuesday morning.
Monzo, from Newham, east London was also charged with two counts of attempted murder, two counts of grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary, and possession of a bladed article.
Four people were injured, including two Metropolitan Police officers, in the incident in Hainault, northeast London.
Monzo, 36, appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday.
Wearing a grey sweatshirt and grey tracksuit bottoms, he spoke only to confirm his name.
During proceedings, the court heard that on the morning of the attack Monzo drove a van "at speed" into a man.
It was alleged he then "exited the vehicle with a samurai sword" and was said to have attacked the man he had driven into, slashing him in the neck, the court was told. The man would later receive hospital treatment.
Around 15 minutes later, the court heard he forced his way into a home where a family was sleeping, including a four-year-old girl.
Monzo then allegedly attacked the father in his bed, leaving him with arm and neck injuries.
The court heard that Monzo allegedly then "jumped out of a bush" at a female police officer and caused serious injuries to her arm.
Another officer was also later injured.
Read more from Sky News:
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Attempted murder arrest after three injured
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Daniel was a pupil at Bancroft's private school in Woodford Green - the same school attended by Nottingham attack victim Grace O'Malley-Kumar.
Staff and pupils at the school said that Daniel's sudden death had left them in "profound shock and sorrow".
Daniel's family told Sky News he was "a wonderful child" who was "well loved" and "hard-working" - and that his death "leaves a gaping wound in the family".
They added: "No family should have to go through what we are experiencing. Any family will understand it's an absolute tragedy."
Chief Magistrate Paul Goldspring remanded Monzo in custody to appear at the Old Bailey on Tuesday - if a hearing is not available on Friday.

The British pop group wrote on X: "Given the ongoing technical issues around the opening of Co-op Live we have taken the difficult decision to move our May shows to the AO Arena.
"This is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we wanted to give our fans as much notice as possible."
All of their Manchester shows this month have been moved and are on the same dates as before apart from 8 May which has been switched to 9 May.
Two planned shows at the 23,500-capacity Co-op Live in June were unaffected, the group said.
On Thursday, British rock band Keane, who were due to play there on Sunday, said they were "absolutely gutted" to cancel the gig because of "ongoing technical issues beyond our control. We are doing all we can to reschedule the show."
The £365m music venue, which has postponed its opening numerous times, said it will be taking "a short pause to events" before welcoming members of the public to the arena from 14 May.
In a statement, Co-op Live put the latest delay down to an issue with the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system.
It said the pause would "fully ensure the safety and security of fans and artists" and allow for an "independent inspection of all elements of the arena ceiling".
"At this time, we do not expect further impact on our opening season. We are aware our actions have frustrated and angered ticket holders."
It comes after the UK's biggest indoor arena was hit by problems before it had even opened - with scheduled gigs, including performances this Friday and Saturday by US singer Olivia Rodrigo - cancelled at short notice.
The three-time Grammy-winner said in an Instagram story she was upset at the cancellations, adding: "We're doing our best to reschedule the show."
US rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie was scheduled to perform there on Wednesday, before cancelling with fans already starting to gather outside, leaving many furious.
He said on X on Thursday that his show had also been moved to the AO Arena on Saturday. He said: "We won't give up that easy let's go!"
It is understood a nozzle from the ventilation and air conditioning system fell to the ground from the ceiling shortly before he was due on stage.
No one was injured but the venue management decided to cancel the Bronx rapper's show.
The main contractor for the arena, the construction firm BAM, said: "Unfortunately, in the run-up to last night's concert, an issue arose that meant the difficult decision was made to cancel the event.
"We apologise for the inconvenience that this has caused for many. Our team continues to work diligently on completing works to the arena."
Tim Leiweke, chairman and chief executive of US-based venue operator, Oak View Group (OVG), said: "We could not and will not run any event until it is absolutely safe to do so. I deeply apologise for the impact that this has had on ticket holders and fans."
The Co-operative Group, which has reportedly paid up to £100m in a 15-year deal to have its name on the ill-fated arena, said it will seek a "full explanation" from OVG.
On Friday, Peter Kay, who was scheduled to be the first performer at the venue, said he had been forced to postpone his two shows for a second time.
The comedian was originally due to perform on 23 and 24 April, but the gigs, which were first pushed back to 29 and 30 April - have since been delayed until 23 and 24 May.
The first gigs had to be postponed with less than 48 hours' notice following a test event.
The Eagles, Janet Jackson and Eric Clapton are due to play the arena, but so far only a test event by Rick Astley has gone ahead.