Government abandons plans to delay 30 council elections
Getty ImagesThe government has abandoned plans to delay 30 council elections in England following legal advice.
Local Government Secretary Steve Reed had approved delays for the ballots for the councils until 2027 to help deliver a major reorganisation which will see some local authorities abolished.
Reform UK had launched a legal challenge against the plans to delay May’s elections, which was due to be heard in the High Court on Thursday.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said “following legal advice” the government had “withdrawn its original decision to postpone 30 local elections in May”.
In a letter to council leaders, Reed said the government had written to the High Court to confirm he had decided to withdraw the original decision.
The statement said: “The secretary (of) state invited the housing minister, who was not involved in the initial decision-making, to reconsider the position afresh on a very urgent basis recognising the pressing timescales involved.
“The housing minister has decided that the elections should proceed in May 2026.”
Reed said he recognised that many of the councils undergoing reorganisation “voiced genuine concerns about the pressure they are under” as part of the reforms.
He added that the government would provide an extra £63m to the 21 areas affected.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, writing on X, said: “We took this Labour government to court and won.
“In collusion with the Tories, Keir Starmer tried to stop 4.6 million people voting on May 7th. Only Reform UK fights for democracy.”
The government has agreed to pay Reform UK’s legal costs relating to the proceedings, which a party source said would be at least £100,000.
The proposed reforms to local government would replace the two-tier system of district and county councils that exists in many parts of England with new unitary authorities responsible for delivering all councils services in their area.
There were originally 136 local elections across England that were scheduled for May.
Of these, 63 were eligible to request a postponement due to local government reorganisation, and in January it was announced that 30 would be delayed.
Reed said on Monday: “The government can confirm that all local elections in May 2026 will now go ahead.”