Two towns across the West of England are preparing for elections which will herald big changes.
Cheltenham Borough Council is planning for a poll likely to be its last, where councillors voted in will only serve for two years.
Meanwhile in Swindon the council is changing how often it holds elections, and stakes are particularly high.
The way Gloucestershire is run is changing; instead of having a county and below it six district councils, in future there will be just one level of local government.
That means Cheltenham Borough Council will be abolished, and those elected in May will serve just two years.
The Liberal Democrats currently dominate the council, holding 36 of its 40 seats.
With just half of the seats being contested, the administration felt holding the vote was not worth it and along with 30 other councils were calling for May's elections to be scrapped.
But the government decided the move could be unlawful and ruled all the local elections should go ahead.
Now back on, political parties must campaign knowing they will soon be doing so again.
Elections for the future new unitary council will be in 2027; it will run in tandem with Cheltenham and the other doomed councils until they cease to exist in April 2028.
Politically, the Lib Dems are very confident of remaining in charge.
Swindon Borough Council is a unitary, set up in 1997 to run all the area's services.
It has a busy electoral cycle, with a third of councillors elected each year, and then one year's break.
That is now changing, and the vote on May 7 will mark a shift to all-out elections every four years.
So every seat is up for grabs, ward boundaries are changing, and councillors will serve until 2030.
And what happens in Swindon, as at general elections, will be very carefully watched - it is considered a political bellwether.
That is place which indicates trends, or leads the way - and in elections means somewhere where the result usually mirrors the overall outcome.
In every general election since 1983 whoever wins in Swindon has also won nationally.
Local elections have also seen control swing back and forth between the Conservatives and Labour.
The last big change was in 2023, when the Tories lost power.
Labour increased their majority in 2024's local elections, holding 41 of the 57 seats.
But things have gone downhill since then, losing seven seats, most notably with four defections to the Greens.
They are now the third biggest group on the coucil, and aiming for gains.
The Conservatives hope no longer being in government in Westminster will help revive their fortunes in Swindon.
The Liberal Democrats would like to increase their small presence on the council.
But the biggest impact could come from Reform, who are riding high in the polls.
Everyone on the electoral register in Swindon and Cheltenham can vote at polling stations on 7 May.
It is now compulsory to bring along voter ID, such as a driving licence or passport, or a Voter Authority Certificate.
You can get these from your council, who also deal with applications for postal and proxy votes.
The election counts in Swindon and Cheltenham will take place on 8 May.