Over 4.5 million voters will now head to the polls in May’s local elections after the government scrapped plans to postpone ballots in 30 councils. The move comes after ministers reversed their controversial delay following legal pressure from Reform UK.
Government Backtracks After Legal Challenge
Ministers initially planned to push back elections in key local authorities by a whole year. But after Reform UK launched a court challenge, the government withdrew the delay, admitting legal advice forced their hand.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage blasted the Labour government on X (formerly Twitter), saying: “We took this Labour government to court and won. In collusion with the Tories, Keir Starmer tried to stop 4.6 million people voting on May 7th. Only Reform UK fights for democracy.”
A Ministry of Housing and Local Government spokeswoman confirmed the change: “Following legal advice, the Government has withdrawn its original decision to postpone 30 local elections in May.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.”
Where Elections Will Go Ahead as Planned
The cancelled delays affect a mix of county councils, district councils, and unitary authorities across England.
- County Councils: East Sussex, Norfolk, Suffolk, West Sussex
- District Councils: Adur, Basildon, Burnley, Cannock Chase, Cheltenham, Chorley, Crawley, Exeter, Harlow, Hastings, Hyndburn, Ipswich, Lincoln, Norwich, Pendle, Preston, Redditch, Rugby, Stevenage, Tamworth, Welwyn Hatfield, West Lancashire, Worthing
- Unitary Authorities: Blackburn with Darwen, Peterborough, Thurrock
The local elections are now set to proceed on May 7th, restoring voters’ chance to have their say across these key areas.
