Councils Granted Election Delays To Complete Reorganisation

The government has confirmed it will bring forward legislation to postpone local elections for a number of councils undergoing local government reorganisation, citing the need to free up capacity to complete the transition process.

In a recent announcement published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the government said elections will be postponed for 29 councils that provided sufficient evidence that delaying elections would support delivery of reorganisation plans. A further 34 councils involved in reorganisation will still hold local elections in May, meaning the majority of elections will proceed as scheduled.

The changes form part of what the government describes as a “once-in-a-generation” reform aimed at ending the two-tier system of local government and replacing it with streamlined unitary authorities. Around one third of people in England currently live in areas covered by both county and district councils, which the government says leads to duplication and inefficiency.

Under the proposals, responsibilities such as housing, planning and highways would be brought under a single authority, with the aim of speeding up decision-making and reducing administrative costs. The government estimates the reforms will reduce the number of councillors by around 5,000 and remove senior management duplication, allowing more funding to be directed towards frontline services.

Where elections are postponed, existing councillors will remain in post until new unitary council elections, which are expected to take place in May 2027. The new councils are due to become operational in April 2028.

The government said the decision follows precedent, noting that elections were postponed between 2019 and 2022 under the previous administration to support earlier rounds of local government reorganisation.

A full government announcement, including the list of councils where elections are postponed and those where elections will still take place, can be found here.