The 30 local councils where elections will now go ahead in May after Starmer’s latest U-turn

The government has abandoned plans to postpone local elections for dozens of councils in May after seeking legal advice against the move.

Last year, the Labor Party announced plans to postpone some elections in areas where local government structures were overhauled.

Last month, local government minister Steve Reed confirmed that 29 of the 136 council elections scheduled for this year would be postponed until 2027. Another council was later given permission to postpone the elections.

But on Monday the Department of Housing and Local Government announced it was abandoning the plans on the advice of lawyers following a legal challenge from Reform UK.

open image in gallery

“Following legal advice, the government has withdrawn its initial decision to postpone the 30 local elections to be held in May,” the statement said.

“Giving councils certainty about their local elections is now paramount and all local elections will now be held in May 2026.”

The government has previously said the delays were requested by local councils because of ongoing plans to scrap two-tier authorities and merge them into single unitary councils by 2028.

A total of 30 of the 63 councils able to apply for deferral were expected to continue deferring.

The assemblies whose elections had to be postponed were:

The Electoral Commission has previously criticized the delays, saying they risked “damaging public confidence”. The decision also led to claims by opposition parties that the postponements were politically motivated.

Conservative local government secretary James Zekice accuses Labor of being “scared of voters” in the face of devastating approval ratings.

Nigel Farage claimed the U-turn was a victory for his party, writing on social media: “We took the Labor government to court and won.

“Keir Starmer colluded with the Conservative Party to prevent 4.6 million people from voting on May 7. Only Reform UK fights for democracy.”

open image in gallery

The government has agreed to pay Reform UK’s legal costs after the party appealed the initial decision to postpone the vote.

Kemi Badenoch criticized “U-turn after U-turn” following the government’s decision to abandon the plans, writing of X: “Predictable chaos of a useless government unable to make basic decisions.

“The legal confusion is hardly surprising, and is one of the reasons why the Conservatives (with a few exceptions that now seem truly foolish) opposed the move to postpone council elections for the second year in a row.”

In a letter to council leaders on Monday, Mr Reed said around £62 million would be made available to local authorities undergoing structural changes.

Mr Reed added: “My officers will be in contact with affected councils to understand whether further practical support will be required.”

open image in gallery

But the leader of Norfolk County Council, one of the officials expecting the May election to be postponed this year, criticized the government for “wasting everyone’s time”.

The Conservative Party, which last held elections in May 2021, said the Government was planning its decision to restart the elections.

Councilor Kay Mason Billig said: “I note that the government has changed its mind on another decision it cannot stick to, namely wasting everyone’s time.

“We had already budgeted and been planning for the elections, so now we can move forward.”

Peterborough City Council (PCC), another administration hoping to suspend the election, also said it was planning for that outcome.