Coffee and sugary snacks are normally the order of the night after the polls for candidates, counters, supporters, and reporters – but not this year.

The adrenaline and caffeine-fuelled counting of votes, of celebrations, commiserations and winners and loser speeches in the small hours of the morning were absent from this year’s elections, because of Covid-19.

Instead, the votes cast in the borough council elections are being counted today at Steam, having been verified last night.

To allow for social distancing fewer counting tellers are being used and counting will be in five groups of four wards each, starting at 10am. The final result, and the political shape of the council for the next year should be known at some point after 6pm.

The votes cast in elections for some of Swindon’s parish councils will be counted tomorrow with the results in the evening.

The votes cast in Swindon and across Wiltshire for police and crime commissioner will be counted in Salisbury on Monday with a result due in the evening.