Devon County Council leader criticises plans to delay 2026 local elections
Councillor accuses Government of putting political self-interest ahead of democracy
Devon County Council leader Julian Brazil has criticised Government plans that could postpone next year’s local elections for councils involved in reorganisation.
The Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness, Alison McGovern MP, has written to more than 60 councils across England, seeking views on whether elections due to be held in May 2026 should be delayed until 2027.
Exeter City Council and Plymouth City Council are among those who have received the letter from the Minister.
According to the letter, the postponement is being considered due to concerns about councils’ “capacity to deliver a smooth and safe transition to new councils” alongside challenges of “running resource-intensive elections to councils who may be shortly abolished."
On Thursday (18 December), Alison McGovern told the House of Commons that she and her colleagues had heard from councils expressing concerns about their capacity to manage the reorganisation within the current timeframe.
She said: “In recent weeks, as final proposals have been submitted, the number of councils voicing such concerns have grown.
“Many councils across the country, and of all stripes, have expressed anxiety about their capacity to deliver a smooth and safe transition to new councils, alongside running resource-intensive elections to councils proposed to be shortly abolished."
Councillor Brazil has strongly opposed the postponement plans, describing the move as “messing with democracy and cancelling the opportunity for people to have their say or vent their frustration.”
He accused Government Ministers of prioritising political self-interest and likened the plans to actions from “the Putin school of politics.”
“We won’t know what local government reorganisation will look like before the elections in May,” Councillor Brazil said.
“Any postponement of the elections could create a pool of people with no mandate other than one that has already run out. The Prime Minister is trying to save his political life… Everything else is smoke and mirrors.”
Any local councils with elections scheduled for May 2026 have until 15th January to respond to the Government’s proposals.