The government is set to postpone the inaugural elections for four newly created English mayoralties until 2028, a move that has ignited a furious political row with opposition parties branding it a 'cancelling of democracy'.
A Two-Year Postponement for 'New Mayoralties'
Ministers are expected to confirm on Thursday that the first votes for mayors in Greater Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, Hampshire and the Solent, and Sussex and Brighton will not take place until 2028. The official reasoning, according to the government, is to allow these areas more time to complete complex local government reorganisation. This involves unifying existing district and county council tiers into single unitary authorities.
Josh MacAlister, the children’s minister, described the reasons as "technical," emphasising that the foundational work of creating unitary councils needed to be done correctly rather than rushed. He also stated that funding for the communities would not be delayed.
'Deliberate Dictatorial' Act or Necessary Pause?
The decision, first reported by The Sun, has been met with immediate and severe criticism from across the political spectrum. The most scathing attack came from Reform UK, whose deputy leader Richard Tice launched a broadside on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
"Generally it’s dictators that cancel elections," Tice stated. "Some 7.5 million people are now going to be denied the opportunity of voting in mayoral elections... To delay it two years: that is a deliberate dictatorial cancelling of democracy in the United Kingdom." He suggested the government was "terrified of losing to Reform" after the party recently announced its candidates for the roles.
The Conservative shadow local government secretary, James Cleverly, condemned what he called a "scandalous attempt to subvert democracy by a Labour government whose credibility and popularity are already in tatters." Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats' local government spokesperson, Zöe Franklin, said the delay was "a disgrace," adding that "democracy delayed is democracy denied."
Background and Political Context
These new mayoral positions were announced in February as part of devolution reforms promising "sweeping" powers to local authorities. The postponement adds to existing delays, as elections in nine council areas involved were already moved from this year to 2026 due to the reorganisation.
The controversy is heightened by Reform UK's recent electoral successes. The party won over 600 council seats and took control of 10 councils, including Kent and County Durham, in local elections last May, and famously overturned a large Labour majority in a parliamentary by-election.
In his defence, Minister MacAlister hit back at critics, telling Sky News that Reform UK's leader Nigel Farage should "pull the other one." He pointed to the Conservatives' record, stating: "The people who are saying this are the same people who a few years ago were proroguing parliament. We’ll take no lectures from these people about democracy."
The row sets the stage for a continued battle over local governance and democratic accountability, with the government insisting on administrative necessity and opponents decrying a politically motivated power grab.
