Millions of voters across England face the prospect of having their local council elections postponed for a second consecutive year, as the government's ambitious reorganisation of local government encounters further delays.
Which Councils Are Affected?
Sky News understands that elections for the Conservative-held county councils of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, and East and West Sussex could now be pushed back until 2027. These authorities had already seen their votes delayed by one year to May 2026 to accommodate a restructuring process.
While elections in Surrey and Hampshire are still anticipated to proceed next year, the reorganisation in the other five counties is reportedly taking longer than initially planned. Ministers are expected to ask the affected councils if they wish to delay their elections, with final decisions confirmed in January.
Broken Promises and Political Fury
This potential new delay directly contradicts recent government assurances. Local Government Secretary Steve Reed told the House of Commons in November that the elections were expected to go ahead. As recently as earlier this month, one of his ministers, Miatta Fahnbulleh, stated definitively that "local elections will go ahead in 2026".
The news has ignited fierce criticism from opposition parties, who accuse the Labour government and Conservative council leaders of colluding to avoid facing voters. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage claimed, "Turkeys don't vote for Christmas. Tory County Councils look set to collude with Labour to keep their control until 2027."
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey echoed the sentiment, calling it "yet another Labour and Conservative stitch-up to deny people their votes in May."
Wider Context of Devolution Delays
This council election delay follows the government's recent postponement of several new mayoral elections until 2028, including those for Essex, Hampshire and the Solent, Sussex and Brighton, and Norfolk and Suffolk.
The holdups are linked to Labour's manifesto pledge to "deepen" and "widen" devolution. The policy involves combining smaller district councils into larger "strategic authorities" with greater powers, often adopting a mayoral combined authority model similar to Greater London.
Conservative shadow local government secretary Sir James Cleverly criticised the government for "blaming local leaders for not being ready" and accused Labour of being "scared of the voters." He stated, "Voters will now be denied the right to elect their own representatives - and not for the first time under this Labour government."
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been approached for comment on the developing situation.
