Local elections: Voters set to go to polls in England and Wales 2 May 2013 Last updated at 01:09 Voters across England go to the polls later to decide the outcome of council elections and a parliamentary by-election in South Shields. Elections are being held in 27 English county councils and seven unitary authorities, last contested in 2009, as well as in Anglesey in Wales. Labour are defending the South Shields seat in a contest caused by the resignation of David Miliband in March. Mayoral contests are also being held in Doncaster and North Tyneside. Polls for all the contests will open at 0700 BST, closing at 2200 BST. More than 2,300 seats are up for grabs in county council and unitary authority elections across the length and breadth of England, including Derbyshire, Lancashire, Somerset, Essex, Surrey, Leicestershire, Kent, Durham, Bristol and Cornwall. No elections are taking place in London, Scotland or Northern Ireland.