Mapped: All the local elections that have been postponed – check to see if you can still vote
Dozens of councils across England have postponed local elections this year, affecting millions of voters across the country.
On Thursday local government secretary Steve Reed confirmed that 29 of the 136 council elections scheduled for this year will be postponed until 2027.
The government announced that the delays were requested by local councils due to a lack of capacity due to the ongoing overhaul of local government structures.
Although Mr Reed told the Commons that the “vast majority” of polls would be held in May as planned, the government faced criticism from political rivals that Labor was “scared of the electorate”.
The delays come as Labor plans to reorganize local government in England by abolishing two-tier authorities and combining them into single unitary councils by 2028.
Last month the government said some 63 council areas could delay elections until 2027 after some told ministers they did not have the capacity to reorganize in time.
On Thursday, Mr Reed confirmed his decision to bring forward legislation to postpone 29 elections.
Councils in Lincoln, Exeter, Norwich, Peterborough and Preston are among the authorities that will not be voting on May 7, along with several areas including Cannock Chase, Harlow, Welwyn Hatfield and West Lancashire.
Polling day for county council voters in East Sussex, West Sussex, Norfolk and Suffolk has also been postponed.
Mr Reed said: “I had another deputation this morning and will consider my decision and then report home.
“Council elections in all other areas will be held as planned; many have given no evidence that this will delay restructuring in their areas.
“This means the vast majority of the 136 local elections scheduled for May across England will take place as planned.”
The Electoral Commission criticized the delays and said it risked “undermining public confidence”. The decision also led to claims by opposition parties that the postponements were politically motivated.
Shadow housing, communities and local government secretary James Cleverly accused Mr Reed of trying to make a “political gain”.
He said: “It’s clear what he wants; he wants to cancel all these elections. So why doesn’t he say it openly? Why doesn’t he have the courage to have his own beliefs?”
Nigel Farage, who has launched plans for a judicial review in a bid to go ahead with the election, accused communities secretary Steve Reed of “abuse of power”.
“We will use every possible means, especially our judicial review,” he said.
With Mr Farage’s UK Reform Party on the rise in national polls, Labor faces potential extinction in upcoming local elections.
Mr Reed denied the government had caused the delays, saying: “For those who say we canceled all the elections, we didn’t. For those who say it’s all Labor councils, it’s not.”
“I asked, I listened and I took action. No dawdling, no playing politics, just getting on with the job of making local government work better for local people.”
