More than a third of local authorities in England have requested postponements to their May elections, citing an inability to deliver them effectively during a major government overhaul of local government structures. The Association of Electoral Administrators reports that 27 of the 63 eligible councils have sought delays to district or county council votes, with others yet to decide before the Thursday deadline.
The requested postponements have sparked unrest, with police called to a Redditch council meeting after insults were exchanged and the public decried the delay as “arrogant”. The government’s reorganisation replaces two-tier systems of district and county councils with unitary authorities, aiming for efficiency in services like social care, and introduces six new elected mayors. Some elections have already been postponed to 2026, and now up to 63 areas could delay until 2027.
Among those requesting delays are East Sussex, West Sussex, and Suffolk county councils, as well as Exeter, Preston, and Peterborough city councils. Smaller councils include Cheltenham, Hastings, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Ipswich, and Redditch. Critics argue the delays undermine democracy, but Local Government Secretary Steve Reed wrote in the Times that the public would support cancelling “pointless” elections to “zombie” councils, as they divert resources from frontline services.
The delay means nearly 600 councillors, including about 200 Labour members, may stay in office longer. Four mayoral elections have already been postponed to 2028. Minister Alison McGovern told the Commons that the government would authorise delays if there were genuine concerns about capacity. Of those seeking delays, most are Labour-led, with three Conservative, one Liberal Democrat, and the rest run by coalitions or independents.
In Redditch, police attended a fractious meeting where a Labour councillor apologised for calling a member of the public a Nazi after being called a “scumbag”. About 50 protesters attended, with councillors voting for a postponement amid heckles of “shame on you” and “this is no democracy”.
