More than a third of councils eligible to delay May’s local elections have asked ministers to postpone them, according to BBC research.
Before Christmas, the government wrote to 63 councils in England – a full list of them can be found here – where local government is being reorganised. Ministers said councils could request a delay for the May elections if there were ‘genuine concerns’ about delivering them.
Research from the BBC found 23 councils have requested postponement. Thirty-three said elections should go ahead as planned and seven are yet to confirm what they will do.
The local government minister, Alison McGovern, wrote to council leaders and said they had until midnight on 15th January to respond. She said if councils requested a delay, the government would be minded to agree.
Most councils asking for a delay are run by Labour, although three are Conservative-led and one is led by the Liberal Democrats. Others are controlled by coalitions or independent councillors.
The government plans to replace the current two-tier system of district and county councils in many areas with new unitary authorities, which would be responsible for all local services.
As a result, some councils due to hold elections this year are expected to be abolished in 2027 or 2028, meaning councillors elected in May could serve for just one year.
Councils that have requested a delay include East and West Sussex County Councils, Suffolk County Council, and the city councils of Exeter, Preston, Norwich and Peterborough. Smaller local authorities such as Cheltenham, Hastings, Ipswich and Redditch have also applied.
Writing in The Times, Local Government Secretary Steve Reed said: ‘Running a series of elections for short-lived Zombie councils will be costly, time consuming and will take scarce resources away from front-line services like fixing pot holes and social care.’
However, opposition parties have criticised the move. Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice told the BBC that councils wanting delays were ‘terrified’ his party would win.
The Conservatives’ shadow local government secretary accused Labour of ‘running scared of voters’. He said: ‘We are clear that these elections should go ahead. Ministers should treat voters with respect instead of disdain, stop undermining our democratic system and let the people of this country make their own decisions.’
Separate research from The Times suggests up to 27 councils may eventually delay elections, affecting more than five million people.
Image: Phil Hearing/UnSplash
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