Political parties are battling it out as constituents head to the polls next week to vote in the crunch local elections . Voters across the country are set to cast their ballots on May 7 as thousands of council seats come up for grabs, as well as the chance to vote for some local mayors, and the Scottish and Welsh governments. Labour is expected to face a wipeout at the elections, a result widely expected to see leadership challenges raised to topple Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership. The party - which is defending 2,557 seats in these elections - is expected to haemorrhage votes to both Reform on the right and the Greens on the left. Meanwhile, the Conservatives are also expecting big losses in the local elections , with Nigel Farage’s party expected to take over many formerly Tory authorities. Local elections campaigns work differently from national general elections, with local party associations outlining their policies for the area rather than there being national manifestos.…