The UK government has abandoned plans to delay 30 council elections in England, following advice that the move could be unlawful. Local Government Secretary Steve Reed had approved delays for the ballots until 2027, citing concerns from some councils about the cost of running elections for authorities due to be abolished.
Reform UK had launched a legal challenge against the plans, which was due to be heard in the High Court. The move to abandon the delays has been welcomed by opposition parties, who had branded the plan undemocratic.
Reform leader Nigel Farage said: "We took this Labour government to court and won." He also claimed that the decision to approve the election delays was "clearly unlawful" and called for Reed to resign.
Government Response
The government has agreed to pay Reform's legal costs, which are expected to be at least £100,000. In a letter to council leaders, Reed said the government had written to the High Court to confirm the withdrawal of the original decision.
The housing minister has decided that the elections should proceed in May 2026. Reed recognized that many of the councils undergoing reorganisation had voiced genuine concerns about the pressure they are under as part of the reforms.
Reorganisation of Local Government
The proposed reforms to local government would replace the two-tier system of district and county councils with new unitary authorities responsible for delivering all council services in their area. The government will provide an extra £63m to the 21 areas affected by the reforms.
Reaction from Opposition Parties
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said his party had "fought tooth and nail to stop this stitch-up" and that the government had been forced into a "humiliating U-turn". Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch said the decision was "predictable chaos from a useless government".
Implications for Councils
Laura Lock, deputy chief executive of the Association of Electoral Administrators, said teams involved in organising elections had "lost months of essential planning time" and faced an "uphill struggle to catch up". The list of councils where elections were due to be postponed but will now take place includes Adur District Council, Basildon Borough Council, and Blackburn with Darwen Council, among others.
