We have today issued the below statement for immediate use on the local authority elections taking place in May 2026.
An MHCLG spokesperson said:
“Following legal advice, the Government has withdrawn its original decision to postpone 30 local elections in May.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.”
The Government is also confirming today £63 million in new funding to help local councils across the 21 reorganisation areas best deliver local government re-organisation, building on the £7.6 million provided last year
We will take the necessary steps to revoke the secondary legislation in Parliament.
We have written to affected councils to confirm elections will go ahead, and will work with councils, their Returning Officers and suppliers to ensure they are well supported to reinstate plans for running elections. The councils affected by this decision are:
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 Pendle Borough 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 Councilhttps://mhclgmedia.blog.gov.uk/2026/02/16/update-on-may-2026-local-authority-elections/
seen at 16:31, 16 February in MHCLG in the Media.