Twenty-two English councils expected to delay elections amid fears of Labour wipeout

Around a third of eligible councils in England are expected to delay their local elections, which were due to take place in May.

There are fears Labour could face a wipeout in some areas at the hands of a Reform UK surge at the local elections, meaning the possible delays have sparked outrage from Nigel Farage’s party.

Last month, the government said some 63 council areas could postpone elections until 2027 after some told ministers they lacked the capacity to reorganise in time.

It comes as Labour’s plans to scrap two-tier authorities and merge them into single unitary councils by 2028 are implemented.

According to the BBC, which contacted the 63 councils, some 22 of them have asked to postpone their ballots ahead of Thursday’s deadline. Around 34 will not delay the elections, while seven are yet to confirm their position.

Most councils that have requested a delay are Labour-led, but three are Conservative-controlled and one is run by the Liberal Democrats.

The delays have been criticised by opposition parties, with Tory shadow local government secretary James Cleverly accusing Labour of “running scared of voters” amid devastating approval ratings.

“We are clear that these elections should go ahead. Ministers should treat voters with respect instead of disdain, stop undermining our democratic system and let the people of this country make their own decisions,” he added.

The Liberal Democrats have called for a change in the law so “ministers cannot simply delay elections at the stroke of a pen”, with party leader Sir Ed Davey saying: “Both Labour and the Conservatives are running scared of the electorate, allowing councillors to serve terms of up to seven years without a democratic mandate.”

Meanwhile, Nigel Farage – who today launched plans for a judicial review in an attempt to make the elections go ahead – has accused communities secretary Steve Reed of an “abuse of power”.

“We will use every means possible, starting with our judicial review”, he added.

The Electoral Commission has also voiced concern about the prospect of further delays to local elections, saying capacity constraints are not a legitimate reason to postpone long-planned polls.

Vijay Rangarajan, the organisation’s chief executive, said the move caused “unprecedented” uncertainty and could damage public confidence.

“We are disappointed by both the timing and substance of the statement. Scheduled elections should as a rule go ahead as planned, and only be postponed in exceptional circumstances”, he said.

Mr Rangarajan added: “As a matter of principle, we do not think that capacity constraints are a legitimate reason for delaying long-planned elections.

“Extending existing mandates risks affecting the legitimacy of local decision-making and damaging public confidence.

“There is a clear conflict of interest in asking existing councils to decide how long it will be before they are answerable to voters.”

But local government minister Alison McGovern said the government would consider granting a delay to councils that voice “genuine concerns” about carrying out elections in 2026.

She said: “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.

“They have expressed concerns about the time and energy spent managing elections to bodies that won’t shortly exist, only to run an election a year later.”