Overview
- By the deadline, roughly 22 to 30 of the 63 invited councils had requested moving their 2026 polls to 2027, with decisions expected from ministers in the coming days.
- Multiple reports say the requests cover more than five million residents and about 3.7 million registered voters, potentially deferring contests for nearly 600 councillors.
- The government argues delaying avoids electing representatives to short‑lived bodies as two‑tier councils are replaced by unitary authorities across England by 2028.
- The Electoral Commission warns capacity constraints are not a legitimate ground for postponement and says extending mandates risks undermining legitimacy and public confidence.
- Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, is launching a High Court judicial review to try to block the delays, adding legal uncertainty ahead of orders that must be laid before notices of election are due at the end of March.