Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has claimed a “victory” after the government abandoned plans to postpone 30 local elections – a decision ballot organisers say has left councils in a “race against time”.
Labour announced in December that it was planning to push the ballots from May 2026 until 2027 – affecting more than 4.5 million people – to overhaul English council structures.
However, on Monday, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said it was no longer proceeding with the plan following legal advice, sought after a challenge brought by Reform UK against the government.
Politics latest: Which councils are affected?
Elections will now take place on 7 May, with a £63m fund available to help local councils across those areas reorganise their structures, with “practical support” also on offer.
Mr Farage said the government had “caved” and suggested Local Government Secretary Steve Reed’s job should be at risk.
“It’s a victory for Reform. But more importantly, it’s a victory for democracy in this country,” Mr Farage declared.
The government has agreed to pay Reform’s legal fees – something Sky News understands to be a six-figure sum.
‘Months of planning time’ lost
Among those which had been due to miss out were city councils in Lincoln, Exeter, Norwich, Peterborough and Preston, alongside several districts such as Cannock Chase, Harlow, Welwyn Hatfield and West Lancashire.
Polling day had also been postponed for county council voters in East Sussex, West Sussex, Norfolk, and Suffolk.
Labour’s U-turn, the party’s 15th since coming to power in July 2024, has angered several election administrators.
Laura Lock, deputy chief executive of the Association of Electoral Administrators, said officials and workers responsible for organising elections have “lost months of essential planning time”.
“These teams now face an uphill struggle to catch up to where they should be,” she said. “They have paused planning to avoid unnecessary cost, but this means they are now playing catch-up.”
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Conservative councillor Richard Wright, chair of the District Councils’ Network – which represents 169 English councils – said: “Council officers, councillors and local electorates will be bewildered by the unrelenting changes to the electoral timetable.
“The councils affected face an unnecessary race against time to ensure elections proceed smoothly and fairly, with polling stations booked and electoral staff available.”
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‘Impossible to plan effectively’
Meanwhile, Matthew Hicks, leader of Tory-run Suffolk County Council said that local councils were experiencing “whiplash as major government decisions shift repeatedly and without warning”.
He added: “This uncertainty makes it almost impossible to plan effectively, deliver stability for residents, or provide clarity for our staff and partners.
“There is now a significant question mark over the government’s wider agenda for devolution and local government reorganisation.”
The leader of Labour-run Thurrock Council Lynn Worrall said it was “disappointing that this decision has been reversed so late in the day”.
