Local authorities across England have requested the government allows them to postpone elections until next year, to implement significant reorganisations. The government has argued that by merging smaller district councils with larger county councils, it can streamline and simplify local services. However, the district council body has warned that the creation of “mega councils” may undermine local decision-making.
Alongside these restructurings, the government wants every area of England to have an elected mayor, to whom powers would be handed. These new mayors would first be elected in May 2026, with elections in areas that have postponed this year’s vote producing councillors for new “shadow authorities”. These authorities would be given a year or more to become operational. The government expects the new unitary authorities to be up and running by April 2027 and 2028.
The requests for election delays will be considered by central government, with the final decision made by ministers. Local Government Minister Jim McMahon stated the bar for approval would be high and that decisions would be made no later than the end of the month. The Conservatives’ shadow local government minister, David Simmonds, said he was unsurprised by the number of requests for delays, arguing that spending millions on elections for councils that are due to be abolished would be a waste of resources.
While there is evidence of broad support for the concept of reorganisation, there have been concerns about the potential negative impacts of creating larger local authorities. Moreover, several MPs have asked whether councils faced with significant debt will be written off as part of the restructuring process. McMahon commented that the government was working to address these concerns, but had not yet come to a decision
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