Residents of Runcorn and Widnes will go to the polls on May 6 to elect a new council after last year’s vote was postponed due to the pandemic.

But this year’s elections will look very different from previous ones as organisers try to make polling stations as safe as possible.

This could include additional cleaning, setting up plastic screens between voters and election staff and introducing queues to enhance social distancing.

The council is also expecting more people to choose to vote by post so they can avoid going to a polling station altogether.

Halton Council’s elections team said in a statement: “Council staff have been working hard since the elections were postponed last year to ensure that these complex elections can take place safely – and that everyone can take part with confidence – by making sure that polling stations and count venues have all safety measures in place.”

However, it is not just the polling stations that will be different this time. Unlike most years, which see only a third of councillors elected at any one time, 2021 will see the whole council up for re-election after major changes to ward boundaries.

The changes mean Halton will have fewer councillors in future, with 54 being elected this year compared to 56 previously.

The number of wards has also been slashed from 21 to 18, with each ward now electing three councillors.

One of the biggest changes introduced this year is in Runcorn, where Heath ward is being split in two. The western part of the ward will join with Mersey ward, covering the old town, to form Mersey and Weston, while the eastern half will be combined with Beechwood ward to form Beechwood and Heath.

This split could spell problems for the council’s few Liberal Democrat members, who all represent Heath ward.

If the new boundaries mean their vote in Heath is split evenly between the two new wards, they are likely to struggle in the new Mersey and Weston ward given Labour’s dominance of the old Mersey ward.

The new Beechwood and Heath ward could prove a better prospect for the party, which is the largest opposition group on the solidly Labour council, given how close the result in Beechwood was in 2019. However, it is likely to be a tight contest.

Another consequence of the new ward boundaries, however, could be the addition of a third Conservative councillor.

Currently, Daresbury elects just two councillors, both of whom are Conservative, but under the new plans the ward would lose Preston Brook to a new Norton South and Preston Brook ward but gain a third councillor.

Given Daresbury has consistently elected Conservative councillors, it would not be surprising if May brought another Tory member to the council.

However, May’s election is still almost certain to return an overwhelmingly Labour council, with previous results showing the party miles ahead of its rivals in most other wards.

Other elections taking place in May include the race for mayor of the Liverpool City Region, where Steve Rotheram is expected to secure re-election, and Cheshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner. Several parish councils are also holding elections.