Council chiefs have raised concerns with Government about the sector’s capacity to run EU elections so close on the heels of local polls.

Local authorities have said there remain ‘immediate concerns’ around complex cost and capacity issues related to the elections next month, with ‘urgent responses needed’ from Whitehall.

On top of this, senior Local Government Association (LGA) officials have warned that councils could be open to legal challenge from EU citizens who decide to vote in the UK but are then disenfranchised if the elections are cancelled.

The Cabinet Office has suggested that EU citizens in the UK should register in their member state of citizenship as the ‘most certain option to ensure they can cast their vote’ but the LGA wants the Government to issue national legal advice on the subject.

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