In a move that has sparked controversy, the UK government has announced that almost half of the 63 council elections planned for May in England will now be delayed until 2027. The decision, confirmed by Local Government Secretary Steve Reed, aims to facilitate a major overhaul of local government structures.
Reed told the House of Commons that 29 councils have been granted permission to postpone their elections, with a final few applications still under consideration. The minister stressed that the “vast majority” of planned elections will still go ahead as scheduled.
The postponements are part of a broader restructuring of local authorities, which will see the abolition of some councils. Reed argued that the delays are necessary to tackle the “confusion and waste of doubled-up bureaucracy” that currently exists, where some councils are responsible for collecting rubbish while others are tasked with its disposal.
“We must move at pace to remove the confusion and waste of doubled-up bureaucracy,” Reed said, estimating that the changes could save “tens of millions of pounds” of taxpayer money.
However, the decision has faced criticism from opposition parties, who argue that the delays could potentially disenfranchise millions of voters. Conservative MP James Cleverly, Reed’s counterpart, accused Labour of “moving seamlessly from arrogance to incompetence and now cowardice” over the issue.
The Electoral Commission, which oversees elections in the UK, has also expressed concern, stating that the delays risk “damaging public confidence” and that “capacity constraints are not a legitimate reason for delaying long-planned elections.”
Reform UK, a political party, is bringing legal action against the government’s decision.
The government has justified the postponements by citing concerns from some councils about their ability to manage the elections alongside the planned overhaul of local government, as well as the cost to taxpayers of holding elections for councils that are due to be abolished.
As the debate continues, the government’s move to delay almost half of the upcoming council elections in England has sparked a fierce political battle, with concerns raised about the potential impact on democratic participation and the transparency of the restructuring process.
