On the same day as “the election” there are in fact 36 metropolitan, 194 district and 49 unitary authorities also vying for votes. A great majority of punters in those authority areas, who walk to the polling station innocently on 7 May, will be bewildered by being handed not one,…

After Norfolk county council’s 2013 elections, an unlikely group of minority parties came together to oust the incumbent Tories. It has been going strong ever since

Shadow health secretary Andy Burnham may halt the divestment of £6bn NHS spending in Manchester. I fear we could be back to the old days of Whitehall rule