The government has launched a consultation that could see local elections in dozens of council areas postponed until 2027, a move that has ignited a fierce political row with opposition parties accusing ministers of being "scared of the voters".
Reorganisation Pressures Prompt Election Delay Proposal
Local Government Minister Alison McGovern announced that sixty-three council areas are being asked for their views on delaying upcoming polls. The proposal stems from the significant reorganisation underway, where two-tier councils are being merged into single unitary authorities.
McGovern told the House of Commons that she and her colleagues have heard growing concerns from councils about their capacity to manage both the complex transition to new authorities and the running of elections for bodies that will soon be abolished. "Many councils across the country, and of all stripes, have expressed anxiety about their capacity to deliver a smooth and safe transition to new councils, alongside running resource-intensive elections to councils proposed to be shortly abolished," she stated.
This follows an earlier announcement this month that elections for new mayors in four parts of England—Greater Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, Hampshire and the Solent, and Sussex and Brighton—will be postponed, with the first contests now scheduled for 2028.
Opposition Fury and Accusations of Democratic Theft
The consultation has been met with immediate and sharp criticism from opposition parties. Conservative shadow local government minister Paul Holmes launched a scathing attack, comparing the government's actions to the Christmas character the Grinch. "While many people gather around their screens to watch movies like How the Grinch Stole Christmas, we’re sitting here discussing how Labour is trying to steal the elections," he said.
Holmes accused Labour of pausing the democratic process to serve its own political interests, claiming the party cancelled mayoral elections because "they were worried they wouldn’t win them". Shadow Local Government Secretary James Cleverly echoed this sentiment, writing on social media platform X that Labour had broken a promise to hold elections as planned. He told the Daily Mail: "Labour are scared of the voters."
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey also condemned the move, calling it a "Labour and Conservative stitch-up" designed to deny people their votes. He urged Conservative MP Kemi Badenoch to "stop her Conservative council leaders from delaying elections yet again just because they are running scared of the Liberal Democrats".
Consultation Process and Ministerial Assurance
In response to the criticism, Minister McGovern emphasised that the government does not wish to dictate local decisions without proper consultation. She stressed they will "listen to local leaders" on what is right for each specific area. "To be clear, should a council say that they have no reason to delay their elections, there will be no delay," McGovern assured MPs.
She added that if a council voices genuine concerns, the government would "take these issues seriously, and would be minded to grant a delay in those areas". The invited councils have until 15 January to submit their views on the proposed postponement, which could see some local elections pushed back to 2027. Some elections had already been delayed until May 2026 due to the ongoing reorganisation process.
