Local elections delayed throughout England – see in case your council is affected

Local Government Secretary Steve Reed confirmed that 29 councils in England will no longer hold a vote on May 7 as planned, with elections kicked back until 2027

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Local elections have been postponed in a swathe of English councils where voters were due to go to the polls in May.

Local Government Secretary Steve Reed confirmed that 29 councils will no longer hold a vote as planned, with elections kicked back until 2027. Voters are due to head to the polls on May 7 to elect councillors in England, alongside elections in the Scottish and Welsh Parliaments.

But more than 350 representations were made to Government by authorities concerned about the impact of a major shake-up of local government on their ability to run these elections. The plans would end the two-tier system of local government throughout much of England, where district and county councils take on different responsibilities in the same area. This system will be replaced with a set of single-tier “unitary” authorities.

Critics have accused the Government of disenfranchising millions of voters by cancelling elections. But Mr Reed hit back, saying the shake-up would make local government more effective in serving the public.

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City councils in Lincoln, Exeter, Norwich, Peterborough and Preston are among the authorities where votes will not take place on May 7, alongside several districts such as Cannock Chase, Harlow, Welwyn Hatfield and West Lancashire.

Polling day has also been postponed for county council voters in East Sussex, West Sussex, Norfolk and Suffolk. Councillors’ terms will be extended. But elections will go ahead after a year’s delay for voters in some areas, including to elect councillors to Essex County Council, Hampshire County Council and Isle of Wight Council.

Mr Reed said: “I have received one further representation this morning and I will consider, then report back to the House on my decision. In all other areas, council elections will go ahead as planned, many having offered no evidence that it would delay reorganisation in their areas. This means, of the 136 local elections across England that were scheduled for May, the vast majority will go ahead as planned.”

The minister added: “To those who say we’ve cancelled all the elections, we haven’t. To those who say it’s all Labour councils, it isn’t. I’ve asked, I’ve listened, and I’ve acted. No messing about, no playing politics, just getting on with the job of making local government work better for local people.

Darren Hughes, Chief Executive of the Electoral Reform Society, said: “Elections are the key pillar of our representative democracy and should not be dismissed as a bureaucratic inconvenience. It is concerning that elections could be seen as something that detracts from councils’ roles, rather than the vital mandate local politicians need to make decisions for the residents they serve.”

Here is a full list of councils where elections are delayed

– Adur District Council

– Basildon Borough Council

– Blackburn with Darwen Council

– Burnley Borough Council

– Cannock Chase District Council

– Cheltenham Borough Council

– Chorley Borough Council

– City of Lincoln Council

– Crawley Borough Council

– East Sussex County Council

– Exeter City Council

– Harlow District Council

– Hastings Borough Council

– Hyndburn Borough Council

– Ipswich Borough Council

– Norfolk County Council

– Norwich City Council

– Peterborough City Council

– Preston City Council

– Redditch Borough Council

– Rugby Borough Council

– Stevenage Borough Council

– Suffolk County Council

– Tamworth Borough Council

– Thurrock Council

– Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council

– West Lancashire Borough Council

– West Sussex County Council

– Worthing Borough Council