Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker of the House of Commons, has privately expressed opposition to Labour's controversial plans to delay local elections for millions of voters across England, according to a leaked email obtained by ITV News.
Speaker's Personal View Revealed
In correspondence dated 12 January, Sir Lindsay told a local councillor that he personally believes council contests scheduled for May this year should proceed as planned. The Speaker, who also serves as MP for Chorley in Lancashire, wrote: 'Whilst I understand the arguments made for postponing elections given the fact that wholesale change will be implemented in the next 12 months, I do not believe in cancelling elections and personally believe that the local elections in May 2026 should take place.'
Limited Influence Despite Strong Views
Sir Lindsay acknowledged he had 'made these views clearly known' to Chorley Borough Council's leadership but emphasised that 'this is not a decision I can make'. He added that it remains 'for the council in Chorley to determine its own actions and explain their position accordingly to the public'.
Widespread Postponement Requests
The government announced last month that 63 councils across England have been offered the option to postpone elections until 2027 as part of Labour's ambitious local government restructuring programme. Nearly half of eligible councils are reported to have requested delays, affecting millions of registered voters.
Labour's Restructuring Rationale
Labour aims to abolish the current two-tier system of county and district councils in favour of creating new unitary authorities, which are expected to be fully operational by 2028. Chorley Borough Council is among those seeking postponement as it prepares to merge with two neighbouring boroughs to form a new 'South Lancashire' unitary authority by April 2028.
Political and Legal Backlash
Opposition parties have accused Labour of 'running scared' of voters by allowing delays to May's local elections, where the governing party is anticipated to perform poorly. Nigel Farage's Reform UK has escalated the controversy by initiating legal action against the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG), with a two-day hearing of their challenge scheduled to begin on 19 February.
Council Leadership Concerns
Alistair Bradley, leader of Chorley Borough Council, told a council meeting late last year that proceeding with May's elections would 'throw a huge spanner' into Lancashire's proposed local government revamp. He argued that changing council representatives shortly before crucial government negotiations would be impractical, as new members 'did not agree to any of this'.
Government Defence and Precedent
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has defended the postponement plans as 'a common-sense question' of whether to hold elections for authorities facing imminent restructuring. MHCLG stated on its website that there is clear precedent for delaying local elections during government reorganisation, citing similar postponements between 2019 and 2021.
The ministry explained: 'These are exceptional circumstances where councils have told us they're struggling to prepare for resource-intensive elections to councils that will shortly be abolished, while also reorganising into more efficient authorities that can better serve local residents.'
