On 7 May, a hefty chunk of the English public will go to the polls to elect thousands of local councillors, while their compatriots in Scotland and Wales elect representatives for the devolved parliaments.

The elections are expected to deal a major blow to Labour incumbents, many of whom are predicted to lose out to challengers, particularly from the left and the right. In Britain’s urban centres, the Green Party is expected to make major gains among voters frustrated with the government’s record on Gaza and the cost-of-living, while Reform is forecast to dominate across much of the rest of the country, with a platform focused on immigration and government waste.

So with each of these parties expected to take a large number of council seats, and potentially take the reins in quite a few councils, how can we expect them to use their powers as it relates to housing, infrastructure and planning?