Overview
- Ministers asked 63 authorities involved in local government reorganisation to state by mid‑January if they wanted to postpone May 2026 polls, and 29 have now requested a delay.
- Most requesting authorities are Labour-led, with 21 Labour councils among the 29, alongside four Conservative, two Liberal Democrat, one Green and one Independent administrations.
- Councils cite capacity pressures and the cost of running short-lived contests during the transition to unitary bodies, with areas including Lancashire, Cheltenham, Exeter and Peterborough submitting requests.
- The Electoral Commission warned that postponements create uncertainty, said capacity constraints are not a legitimate reason to delay long-planned elections, and cautioned that extending mandates risks eroding public confidence.
- Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is preparing a judicial review to challenge cancellations, while ministers have yet to confirm which requests, if any, will be approved.