Government Abandons Plan to Postpone May Council Elections After Legal Challenge
The Government has executed a significant U-turn, abandoning its controversial plans to postpone local elections across 30 councils scheduled for this May. This decision follows a legal challenge mounted by Reform UK and subsequent advice from Government lawyers, which forced ministers to withdraw the proposed delay.
Legal Pressure Forces Reversal
In a letter to council leaders on Monday, Local Government Secretary Steve Reed confirmed that the Government had formally notified the High Court of its decision to withdraw the postponement. "In light of recent legal advice," Mr Reed stated, the original decision has been rescinded. The Government has also agreed to cover Reform UK's legal costs incurred during the challenge.
The planned postponement was initially approved to facilitate a major reorganisation of local authorities, described by ministers as "the most ambitious reforms of local government in a generation." However, this rationale collapsed under legal scrutiny.
Financial Support and Political Fallout
Mr Reed announced that £62 million will be made available to local authorities undergoing structural changes. "I recognise that many of the local councils undergoing reorganisation voiced genuine concerns about the pressure they are under," he said, adding that officials would contact affected councils to assess if further practical support is required.
The political repercussions were immediate and severe. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage declared the decision a victory, posting on social media: "We took this Labour government to court and won." The party had sought a court order to block the Government from changing election dates pending a full hearing, with another session scheduled for Thursday.
Cross-Party Condemnation and Criticism
Opposition parties launched scathing attacks on the Government's handling of the situation. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch described the reversal as "predictable chaos from a useless Government that cannot make basic decisions," while Shadow local government secretary Sir James Cleverly dismissed Labour as a "joke" and claimed Mr Reed's credibility was "now completely gone."
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the Government had been "forced into a humiliating U-turn" and should be stripped of its power to "cancel elections on a whim." He revealed that the Liberal Democrats have proposed an amendment to change the law, aiming to protect the public's voice by statute rather than ministerial discretion.
Green Party leader Zack Polanski expressed relief at the U-turn but criticised the initial postponement as part of "a disturbing authoritarian trend from this caretaker Prime Minister."
Affected Authorities and Future Certainty
The elections that will now proceed as originally scheduled include city councils in Lincoln, Exeter, Norwich, Peterborough, and Preston. Several district councils, such as Cannock Chase, Harlow, Welwyn Hatfield, and West Lancashire, are also affected. Additionally, county council voters in East Sussex, West Sussex, Norfolk, and Suffolk will go to the polls on May 7.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) emphasised: "Following legal advice, the Government has withdrawn its original decision to postpone 30 local elections in May. Providing certainty to councils about their local elections is now the most crucial thing and all local elections will now go ahead in May 2026."
This episode highlights the intense political and legal pressures surrounding electoral timing, with the Government's attempt to delay votes ultimately thwarted by judicial intervention and opposition party action.
