Tories cry foul as overhaul of English councils may delay local elections
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Labour’s changes to local government may postpone votes in areas Conservatives and Reform UK were hoping to win seats. Local elections for some English councils are likely to be delayed next year as a result of the government’s plans to scrap district councils, officials have indicated.
Angela Rayner, the communities secretary, announced plans for a sweeping overhaul of local government on Monday as part of what ministers say is the biggest devolution of political power this century. As part of Rayner’s devolution white paper, every area governed by two-tier county and district councils will be asked to submit plans for mergers to create larger unitary authorities with about 500,000 people in each.
Ministers say such a change will help empower local authorities, but it is also likely to mean elections in some areas will have to be delayed, triggering anger from the Conservatives and Reform UK, which were hoping to make gains in those places. Jim McMahon, the local government minister, said on Monday the government “may look at postponing” some local elections next year, but added: “It wouldn’t be for longer than a couple of months, a year.”.
Officials added that it was likely some areas would have to request delays to avoid voters electing a council only to see it scrapped halfway through its term. This has previously happened in Cumbria, Somerset and North Yorkshire, which all delayed their 2021 local elections by a year as they went through a similar reorganisation.
