Why are there no elections in Cumbria this week?
BBCWith much of the UK gearing up for elections on Thursday, residents in Cumbria may be wondering why they will not be voting.
There are no elections in either the Westmorland and Furness Council area or the Cumberland Council area this year, as both councils are in a "fallow year".
The two unitary authorities run on a schedule that sees all councillors elected once every four years, with all-out elections taking place this time next year, May 2027.
At the same time, a mayoral election for the new Cumbria Combined Authority will also be held, which is a body set up to access some devolved funding and powers through the government. The North East and Tees Valley already have elected mayors.
People in parts of England, as well as Scotland and Wales, will go to the polls on Thursday.
This year, boundary changes in some council areas have seen all-out elections, which means all seats are up for grabs.
Both Cumbrian authorities' councillors were elected in 2022 to serve a five-year term, being part of the "shadow authority" in the first year before fully serving for four years.
This replaced a previous system of local government, which saw the county council and six district councils scrapped.
Next year, Westmorland and Furness Council will see 65 seats up for grabs, while Cumberland Council will elect 46 councillors.
Both reiterated: "This is part of the normal local election cycle."
Cumbria's first mayor will also be elected in May 2027, with the combined authority stating it would work alongside the two local councils, not instead of them.
The only contest to take place this year, so far, is the upcoming by-election for seats vacated by a councillor on Westmorland and Furness and Barrow Town Council, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Other authorities elect half its councillors every two years, or elect by thirds every year for three years, with the fourth year acting as a year off.
