Polls are now open in local elections in the UK and will remain open until 10pm. In Northern Ireland, there are elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly: in England, Scotland and Wales there are elections to various local councils. In Scotland and Wales there are elections for all local councils. In England there are elections to 146 principal councils (this means a County, City, District, Borough, or Unitary council) and about a thousand parish councils. These include the new unitary authorities which will replace Cumbria County Council and the six districts in Cumbria on 1st April next year. The new Cumberland Council will replace the existing authorities in the area currently covered by Allerdale, Carlisle and Copeland, the new Westmorland and Furness council will replace the current councils in Barrow-in Furness, Eden, and South Lakeland. There are two other new unitary authorities in Somerset and West Yorkshire being elected for the first time. The creation of these four new un