Vote 2021: five tips to watch – these are good places to measure party fortunes in local elections | Political news

The ‘Super Thursday’ local election will be a big test for the main parties, with Boris Johnson hoping the Tories will get a rebound from the COVID vaccine, and Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer aiming to improve his party’s dismal performance in the general election from 2019.

Here are five tips in England that are worth watching to gauge the public’s mood towards different parties:

Derbyshire County Council

2017 was a huge night for Derbyshire County Council, with that Labor majority council unusually transforming into a Tory majority council overnight after 19 seats went from red to blue in one go.

All 64 seats are up for election again, and the scale of Labor’s losses the last time around means it’s a good place to measure Sir Keir’s progress in a part of the East Midlands known for its Brexit support.

However, most of the region’s 2019 MPs are Tories, which means it will be a tough fight.

An added bonus: The great Tory Edwina Currie, a former cabinet minister under John Major, is also standing in the seat of Whaley Bridge.

Nottinghamshire County Council

Since 1973, Labor has proven to have dominated the roost here in nine of the 12 elections.

The Tories have controlled Nottinghamshire County Council globally only twice out of 12, and never for more than one term.

In 2017 there was a big change, with the Tories gaining 10 seats and Labor losing 11, and with it control of the council, which fell to No Global Control.

The conservatives now control alongside the independents.

Labor was within three percentage points of the Tories in 2017: can they close the gap and indicate progress, especially since all three local MPs are from the Labor Party?

Liverpool City Council

A remarkable election – for unusual reasons.

The mayor of the city since the post was created in 2012, Joe Anderson, who is also …