Counting began in the North of Ireland after quiet local election

A total of 819 candidates are running for 462 council seats across eleven different council areas, a decrease from the 893 candidates who sought election in 2014.

Counting has begun this morning in local elections in the Six Counties of the North of Ireland.

The campaign has been quiet and somehow overshadowed by non-local and yet important issues such as the crisis over Brexit, the political stalemate, and recent rioting in Derry.

The North's 1.3m eligible voters enjoyed mild weather for polling, and the overall turnout is expected to reach over 50%, slightly down on the last two elections. It would be a smaller drop than had been feared for an election which is being held in isolation this time out.

A total of 819 candidates are running for 462 council seats across eleven different council areas, a decrease from the 893 candidates who sought election in 2014.

The Democratic Unionist Party are fielding 172, Sinn Fein 155, the Ulster Unionist Party 117, the SDLP (Social Democratic and Labour Party) 85, and Alliance 84.

Newcomer nationalist/republican party Aontú has 16 candidates in the first electoral test for Peadar Tóibín's party since he left Sinn Féin last year. There are also six independent republicans in the running.