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Six wards are up for grabs across England, Scotland and Wales

Kemi Badenoch is looking for a "bounce" in regions across Britain after reshuffling her shadow cabinet.

The Conservative leader sacked Sir Mel Stride as shadow chancellor and appointed former business secretary Andrew Griffith in his place.

Claire Coutinho, previously the shadow energy secretary, will replace Mr Griffith as shadow business secretary, while Sir Mel will join Tory big beasts Dame Priti Patel and Sir James Cleverly on the backbenches amid the ongoing shake-up.

Six council wards are up for grabs across England, Scotland and Wales.

 Kingswood (Stroud)

Voters in the Kingswood ward of Stroud District Council will head to the polls in a by-election triggered by the departure of Liberal Democrat councillor Holly Simkiss, who stepped down for personal reasons.

The Liberal Democrats are defending what appears to be one of their safest local seats in Gloucestershire, having secured a commanding 82 per cent of the vote when the ward was last contested in May 2024.

The party will be hoping to retain its foothold on the council.

The contest takes place against the backdrop of a Green minority administration at Stroud, where the party holds 23 of the council's 51 seats.

Labour currently occupies 18 seats, with the Conservatives on six, independents holding two, and the Liberal Democrats retaining just a single seat.

The ward falls within the South Cotswolds parliamentary constituency, currently represented by Liberal Democrat MP Roz Savage, giving the party an added incentive to deliver a strong result at the local level.

Southside/Newington (Edinburgh) 

Voters in Edinburgh's Southside/Newington ward head to the polls in a by-election triggered by the departure of SNP councillor Simita Kumar.

Ms Kumar stood down from her seat on the City of Edinburgh Council after winning election to the Scottish Parliament and subsequently being named Minister for Equalities.

The SNP is defending the seat against a crowded field of 13 candidates, making it one of the more competitive local contests in the capital this year.

The council is currently led by a Labour minority administration, which holds just 11 of the 63 available seats and governs through cross-party agreements.

The Liberal Democrats are the largest group with 14 councillors, while the Greens, Labour and the SNP each hold 11, the Conservatives 10, and independents and others account for six.

Under the single transferable vote system, residents will rank their preferred candidates numerically.

Among the confirmed contenders are Sam Alexander Mackenzie for the SNP, Labour's Ruth Elliot, Isabella Gastel Alejandre for the Greens, Liberal Democrat Artie Khovanov, Conservative Nick Layden and Reform UK's Gary Neill.

Portobello/Craigmillar (Edinburgh)

Voters in Edinburgh's Portobello/Craigmillar ward head to the polls to fill a vacancy on the City of Edinburgh Council.

The by-election was triggered when senior SNP councillor Kate Campbell stood down from her seat after winning election to the Scottish Parliament.

No less than 10 candidates are vying for the Ward 17 position, which the SNP is defending.

Silas McGilvray is carrying the party's banner against challengers including Labour's Jim Patrick Wyke and the Scottish Greens' Lorenzo Martinico.

The contest is predicted to be a tighter race than the concurrent Southside/Newington by-election nearby, where the Greens are favoured.

The SNP appears as favourites, while the Greens sit close behind as the leading challenger and Labour trails behind them.

The council itself is run by a Labour minority administration, which holds just 11 of the authority's 63 seats through informal cross-party arrangements.

Chesterton & Launton (Oxfordshire)

Voters in the Chesterton & Launton division of Oxfordshire will head to the polls after the by-election was triggered when Liberal Democrat councillor Will Boucher-Giles stepped down from his seat following his family's relocation to Switzerland.

His departure stripped the Lib Dems of their single-seat majority on Oxfordshire County Council, leaving them running a minority administration with 34 of the council's 69 seats.

A failure to hold the division would further weaken their grip on power.

Five candidates are vying for the seat, including James Henry Dean Hartley, who carries the Lib Dem banner.

Conservative Sandy Lewis Dallimore and Reform UK's Ian Richard Hodgson, who both stood in 2025, are back for another attempt.

Labour's Gregory Michael Fish and the Green Party's Meri Mosharrafa complete the field.

The 2025 contest was close, with the Lib Dems winning on 33 per cent, the Conservatives taking 28 per cent, and Reform finishing on 27 per cent.

The Lib Dems are favourites for holding the seat, with the Conservatives and Reform also contending.

Llantwit Fardre (Rhondda Cynon Taf)

Voters in the Llantwit Fardre ward head to the polls to fill a vacancy on Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.

The by-election was called after Conservative Councillor Sam Trask stepped down from the seat, having moved away from the area.

Five candidates are vying for the single seat under first-past-the-post rules.

Labour holds a dominant majority on the council, controlling 57 of its 75 seats, though the Conservatives swept the ward in the May 2022 elections, winning 49 per cent of the vote.

The Welsh Conservatives have put forward Joel James, a regional member of the Senedd, as their candidate to defend the seat.

He faces Lloyd Watkins for Welsh Labour, Lyndon Evans representing Reform UK, Plaid Cymru's Danny Lyn Crudge, and independent candidate Jonathan Bishop, as confirmed by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The Tories are strong favourites to retain the ward, with both Labour and Reform UK on their tail.

(Frome West) Somerset

Voters in Frome West head to the polls for a by-election on the unitary Somerset Council.

The contest was triggered after Green Councillor Michael Dunk stood down from his seat following a legal appeal connected to a conviction stemming from a 2022 protest.

Five candidates will compete under first-past-the-post rules.

Dominic James Ellison stands for the Greens in defence of the seat, facing Drew Gardner for the Liberal Democrats, Reform UK's Joseph Williams, Conservative David Salter Quantrill-Simon, and Labour's Christopher David Wildridge.

The Greens secured both seats in this division at the May 2022 elections with 47 per cent of the vote, and Frome has long been considered a party stronghold in Somerset.

The Lib Dems are seen as the principal challengers, buoyed by their recent general election performance across the wider area.

They currently control Somerset Council with 61 of its 110 seats.