William Eichler 22 January 2026

Reed confirms elections postponed for 29 councils

Reed confirms elections postponed for 29 councils image
© Claudio Divizia / Shutterstock.com.

The Government has confirmed that elections this year will be postponed for 29 local authorities as part of the push to reorganise local government.

Local government secretary Steve Reed said legislation will be brought forward to delay elections for the 29 councils that have shown postponement would free up capacity to focus on reorganisation work, while 34 others will still hold local elections in May as planned.

Existing councillors in areas where polls are postponed will remain in post until new elections, with unitary council elections expected in May 2027 and new authorities operational by April 2028.

Elections where legislation will be brought forward to postpone:

Adur District Council

Basildon Borough Council

Blackburn with Darwen Council

Burnley Borough Council

Cannock Chase District Council

Cheltenham Borough Council

Chorley Borough Council

City of Lincoln Council

Crawley Borough Council

East Sussex County Council

Exeter City Council

Harlow District Council

Hastings Borough Council

Hyndburn Borough Council

Ipswich Borough Council

Norfolk County Council

Norwich City Council

Peterborough City Council

Preston City Council

Redditch Borough Council

Rugby Borough Council

Stevenage Borough Council

Suffolk County Council

Tamworth Borough Council

Thurrock Council

Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council

West Lancashire Borough Council

West Sussex County Council

Worthing Borough Council

Check out: Local Government Reorganisation: What It Means and Why It Matters.

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