Nearly thirty local authorities across England have formally requested to postpone their scheduled May elections, citing the financial strain and logistical challenges of an ongoing nationwide council restructuring.
Which Councils Want a Postponement?
The government offered sixty-three councils the option to delay their May 2026 votes due to obstacles presented by Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) plans. According to an analysis by Sky News, twenty-nine councils have decided to take up that offer, while thirty-three have declined and one failed to reach an internal agreement.
The vast majority of councils seeking a delay are under Labour control. Of the twenty-nine, twenty-one are Labour-led, four are Conservative, two are Liberal Democrat, one is Green, and one is run by an Independent group.
The list of councils requesting the postponement is as follows:
- Adur District Council (Labour)
- Basildon Borough Council (Labour)
- Blackburn with Darwen Council (Labour)
- Burnley Borough Council (Burnley Independent Group)
- Cannock Chase District Council (Labour)
- Cheltenham Borough Council (Lib Dem)
- Chorley Borough Council (Labour)
- City of Lincoln Council (Labour)
- Crawley Borough Council (Labour)
- East Sussex County Council (Conservative)
- Exeter City Council (Labour)
- Harlow District Council (Conservative)
- Hastings Borough Council (Green)
- Hyndburn Borough Council (Labour)
- Ipswich Borough Council (Labour)
- Norwich City Council (Labour)
- Pendle Borough Council (Lib Dem)
- Peterborough City Council (Labour)
- Preston City Council (Labour)
- Redditch Borough Council (Labour)
- Rugby Borough Council (Labour)
- Stevenage Borough Council (Labour)
- Suffolk County Council (Conservative)
- Tamworth Borough Council (Labour)
- Thurrock Council (Labour)
- Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council (Labour)
- West Lancashire Borough Council (Labour)
- West Sussex County Council (Conservative)
- Worthing Borough Council (Labour)
Reasons and Repercussions of the Delay
The councils argue that a lack of resources and the high cost of holding elections, combined with the immense task of implementing LGR, necessitate the move. The reorganisation involves Labour's policy of scrapping two-tier local authorities and merging them into single unitary councils by 2028.
However, the decision has sparked significant criticism and accusations of undemocratic practice. Conservative shadow local government secretary James Cleverly accused the Labour government of "running scared of voters" amid poor approval ratings. He insisted the elections should proceed to allow the public to make their own decisions.
The Liberal Democrats have called for a legal change to prevent ministers from delaying elections easily. Party leader Sir Ed Davey condemned the situation, stating it could allow councillors to serve up to seven years without a fresh mandate, a sentiment he claimed applied to both major parties.
Legal Challenges and Electoral Confidence
The controversy has also drawn in Nigel Farage and Reform UK. Farage, expressing outrage, suggested the delay was politically motivated as Reform UK threatens Labour in certain areas. On Thursday 16th January 2026, he announced plans for a judicial review to force the elections to go ahead, accusing Communities Secretary Steve Reed of an "abuse of power".
The Electoral Commission has voiced profound concern. Chief Executive Vijay Rangarajan said the move created "unprecedented" uncertainty and risked damaging public confidence. He stated that scheduled elections should only be postponed in exceptional circumstances and that capacity constraints were not a legitimate reason.
Mr Rangarajan emphasised a clear conflict of interest, noting it was problematic for existing councils to decide how long they should remain in power before facing voters again, potentially undermining the legitimacy of local decision-making.
