| Council Election delays 2026 21:28 - Jan 22 with 973 views | Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
With how much TWTD partakes in political chat and democracy this side of the pond, I'd love to get some thoughts on this one in the UK. Surprised it has not been discussed. Maybe I missed it though.
From the BBC
The Electoral Commission, which oversees elections in the UK, has said delays to council elections in England risk "damaging public confidence" and it did not think "capacity constraints are a legitimate reason for delaying long-planned elections".
29 mainly Labour lead seats and up to 4M people that won't have a voice in 2026, sounds a bit dodgy to me, has this happened before on this scale?
Getting criticism from all sides, from Lib Dems to Reform.
I can only imagine the outrage/headlines if the righties were in charge and let's say, they were a deeply unpopular, unwater government, two years into their term and delayed elections in a swathe of councils last contested when they were polling high as the opposition?
What's the rationale for this?
Happy to be enlightened if its just a pretty standard delay for reorganization that happens every now and then but I don't think that's the case. Reading the statement from the Electoral Commission, it certainly seems to reinforce that line of thought.
I'm getting Pompey frozen pitch vibes! |  |
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 21:59 - Jan 22 with 879 views | Guthrum |
The rationale is basically that these are councils which face being merged into larger unitary authorities in the fairly near future, a year or two. Thus, the argument runs, it would be a waste of money (at a time when local authorities are extremely cash-strapped) to run a set of elections, then another one fairly soon after covering the same districts. Better to hold off and do it all in one go when the mergers happen. Not irrational in and of itself.
This has led to accusations of being anti-democratic - not to mention being driven by fear of losing seats at a time of Government unpopularity. It is, of course, those who think they stand to gain the most (based on polling expectations) who are shouting loudest. However, it's less about local governance, really, than creating further troubles for Starmer.
For me, there are arguments on both sides. But given the financial systems of authorities are creaking under the strain and nobody wants Council Tax increased still further, that carries a lot of weight. |  |
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 22:05 - Jan 22 with 855 views | Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 21:59 - Jan 22 by Guthrum |
The rationale is basically that these are councils which face being merged into larger unitary authorities in the fairly near future, a year or two. Thus, the argument runs, it would be a waste of money (at a time when local authorities are extremely cash-strapped) to run a set of elections, then another one fairly soon after covering the same districts. Better to hold off and do it all in one go when the mergers happen. Not irrational in and of itself.
This has led to accusations of being anti-democratic - not to mention being driven by fear of losing seats at a time of Government unpopularity. It is, of course, those who think they stand to gain the most (based on polling expectations) who are shouting loudest. However, it's less about local governance, really, than creating further troubles for Starmer.
For me, there are arguments on both sides. But given the financial systems of authorities are creaking under the strain and nobody wants Council Tax increased still further, that carries a lot of weight. |
Well thank you, it was a genuine question and I got a genuine answer. I'm a little bit more skeptical than that when you look at the current popularity of the party which holds said seats. Of course those who would gain most would shout loudest, it's a planned democratic election after all. | |
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 22:16 - Jan 22 with 829 views | Zx1988 |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 22:05 - Jan 22 by Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
Well thank you, it was a genuine question and I got a genuine answer. I'm a little bit more skeptical than that when you look at the current popularity of the party which holds said seats. Of course those who would gain most would shout loudest, it's a planned democratic election after all. |
The situation that we've got here in South Norfolk is that any elections this year would be followed by the election of a 'Shadow Council' in 2027 as part of the handover process towards unitary, with the Shadow Council then going live in 2028.
We discussed this at a Town Council meeting the other week, and our Chair said that part of the rationale is that new councillors usually take a good year or so to get themselves up and running, and working effectively. The result being that a 2026 election would only result in swapping experienced councillors for newbies, who will likely not get up to speed before, potentially, being scrapped.
I see both sides on this, but I'm inclined to come down on the side of financial savings, especially given the lesser impact of district councils, the abysmal track record of Reform (who are hoping to be the big winners), and the fact that the whole thing seems to be being played out as a p*ssing contest in the hope that low-turnout local results will give Reform even more ammunition at Westminster. |  |
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 22:16 - Jan 22 with 832 views | Guthrum |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 22:05 - Jan 22 by Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
Well thank you, it was a genuine question and I got a genuine answer. I'm a little bit more skeptical than that when you look at the current popularity of the party which holds said seats. Of course those who would gain most would shout loudest, it's a planned democratic election after all. |
Not exclusively Labour, tho. My local council in Cheltenham - tightly LibDem controlled and likely to remain so - is one of those wanting to put their next set of elections off.
The cost argument is genuine, just a question of whether that carries enough weight to offset the need for democratic process. Particularly in the light of the balance between council-level governance issues and local elections as national political theatre.
It's also something of a lottery as to which councils have some of their seats (usually a third or a half) up for grabs in any given May. Not all councils are every year. I haven't looked, but it might simply come down to chance that the majority of local authorities in this situation are Labour-controlled. | |
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 22:21 - Jan 22 with 808 views | Guthrum |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 22:16 - Jan 22 by Zx1988 |
The situation that we've got here in South Norfolk is that any elections this year would be followed by the election of a 'Shadow Council' in 2027 as part of the handover process towards unitary, with the Shadow Council then going live in 2028.
We discussed this at a Town Council meeting the other week, and our Chair said that part of the rationale is that new councillors usually take a good year or so to get themselves up and running, and working effectively. The result being that a 2026 election would only result in swapping experienced councillors for newbies, who will likely not get up to speed before, potentially, being scrapped.
I see both sides on this, but I'm inclined to come down on the side of financial savings, especially given the lesser impact of district councils, the abysmal track record of Reform (who are hoping to be the big winners), and the fact that the whole thing seems to be being played out as a p*ssing contest in the hope that low-turnout local results will give Reform even more ammunition at Westminster. |
This scenario happened to a friend of mine who was a borough councillor in part of Somerset. They got merged, chopping off the end of his four-year term. He was so cheesed off (by that and other issues) that he didn't bother standing again, especially as he would have had to compete for a candidacy in the reduced number of new, larger wards. | |
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 22:34 - Jan 22 with 758 views | Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 22:16 - Jan 22 by Guthrum |
Not exclusively Labour, tho. My local council in Cheltenham - tightly LibDem controlled and likely to remain so - is one of those wanting to put their next set of elections off.
The cost argument is genuine, just a question of whether that carries enough weight to offset the need for democratic process. Particularly in the light of the balance between council-level governance issues and local elections as national political theatre.
It's also something of a lottery as to which councils have some of their seats (usually a third or a half) up for grabs in any given May. Not all councils are every year. I haven't looked, but it might simply come down to chance that the majority of local authorities in this situation are Labour-controlled. |
21 of them are. I believe. | |
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 23:27 - Jan 22 with 698 views | Clapham_Junction |
I don't really see the problem if the councils in question will be dissolved in the very near future - it's a complete waste of public money and has been done in the past (as the BBC article points out, this also happened in 2021 when government of 'righties' were two years into their term)
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-en |  | | |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 23:29 - Jan 22 with 690 views | Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 23:27 - Jan 22 by Clapham_Junction |
I don't really see the problem if the councils in question will be dissolved in the very near future - it's a complete waste of public money and has been done in the past (as the BBC article points out, this also happened in 2021 when government of 'righties' were two years into their term)
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-en |
3 v 29? Is that correct? [Post edited 22 Jan 23:30]
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 23:37 - Jan 22 with 663 views | Dubtractor |
Government made a mistake by postponing the elections last year, after announcing the local government restructuring, albeit the logic was that it allowed the existing administrations to make proposals for the restructuring.
Fast forward to today, and it's even worse timing for an election as government will announce the preferred new council structures in March, and it would be mad to do that then elect a new administration who may no even agree with the proposals which are to be put in place. Plus it would mean huge change right at the point that council workload, to deliver the changes, will go through the roof.
So oddly the delay is more justified this year than last, but it compounds the issue by being the second delay, and they probably should have just done them last year but asked for reorganisation proposals from the new administration at the point.
Its cock up/poor planning rather than conspiracy, but it does look pretty poor.
Should add that not all elections are cancelled, some councils have decided to just go ahead and do them, but that definitely has some risk to it. [Post edited 22 Jan 23:39]
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 23:40 - Jan 22 with 649 views | Clapham_Junction |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 23:29 - Jan 22 by Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
3 v 29? Is that correct? [Post edited 22 Jan 23:30]
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It was actually six in 2021 (the BBC article mentions three county councils, but they were also postponed in three district councils - Carlisle, Carven and South Lakeland), but it's also a meaningless comparison unless you also say how many councils are involved in reorganisation process in the two years in question. If loads more councils are potentially about to be dissolved, then there's no surprise that the number of postponed elections is loads higher.
I appreciate people are looking for a stick to beat the government with (and I didn't vote for them), but this is standard practice and should be a non-issue. | | | |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 23:41 - Jan 22 with 637 views | Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 23:40 - Jan 22 by Clapham_Junction |
It was actually six in 2021 (the BBC article mentions three county councils, but they were also postponed in three district councils - Carlisle, Carven and South Lakeland), but it's also a meaningless comparison unless you also say how many councils are involved in reorganisation process in the two years in question. If loads more councils are potentially about to be dissolved, then there's no surprise that the number of postponed elections is loads higher.
I appreciate people are looking for a stick to beat the government with (and I didn't vote for them), but this is standard practice and should be a non-issue. |
Actually it was more a question after reading that quote from the Electoral Commission, who I assume are fairly clued up on the subject.. | |
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 23:48 - Jan 22 with 604 views | Clapham_Junction |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 23:41 - Jan 22 by Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
Actually it was more a question after reading that quote from the Electoral Commission, who I assume are fairly clued up on the subject.. |
You said you were "Happy to be enlightened if its just a pretty standard delay for reorganization that happens every now and then", but you're clearly not happy about being enlightened.
Struggling to find a detailed history of delayed council elections, but this former MP gives a decent list.
https://www.facebook.com/Graha | | | |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 23:54 - Jan 22 with 583 views | Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 23:48 - Jan 22 by Clapham_Junction |
You said you were "Happy to be enlightened if its just a pretty standard delay for reorganization that happens every now and then", but you're clearly not happy about being enlightened.
Struggling to find a detailed history of delayed council elections, but this former MP gives a decent list.
https://www.facebook.com/Graha |
I also asked if it had happened on that kind of scale before. | |
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 00:35 - Jan 23 with 530 views | Clapham_Junction |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 23:54 - Jan 22 by Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
I also asked if it had happened on that kind of scale before. |
Based on the MP's comments, sounds like it probably did prior to the massive local government reorganisation in the early 1970s – the important point for contextualising this is the number of councils going through a reorganisation process, as that's what's driving the postponements. | | | |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 00:58 - Jan 23 with 502 views | Joey_Joe_Joe_Junior |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 00:35 - Jan 23 by Clapham_Junction |
Based on the MP's comments, sounds like it probably did prior to the massive local government reorganisation in the early 1970s – the important point for contextualising this is the number of councils going through a reorganisation process, as that's what's driving the postponements. |
Appreciate the insights. | |
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 04:52 - Jan 23 with 390 views | Benters |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 00:35 - Jan 23 by Clapham_Junction |
Based on the MP's comments, sounds like it probably did prior to the massive local government reorganisation in the early 1970s – the important point for contextualising this is the number of councils going through a reorganisation process, as that's what's driving the postponements. |
There was me thinking it was Labour being cowardly….again [Post edited 23 Jan 5:07]
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 08:26 - Jan 23 with 233 views | Swansea_Blue |
| Council Election delays 2026 on 22:16 - Jan 22 by Guthrum |
Not exclusively Labour, tho. My local council in Cheltenham - tightly LibDem controlled and likely to remain so - is one of those wanting to put their next set of elections off.
The cost argument is genuine, just a question of whether that carries enough weight to offset the need for democratic process. Particularly in the light of the balance between council-level governance issues and local elections as national political theatre.
It's also something of a lottery as to which councils have some of their seats (usually a third or a half) up for grabs in any given May. Not all councils are every year. I haven't looked, but it might simply come down to chance that the majority of local authorities in this situation are Labour-controlled. |
Seems to make perfect sense to me based on how you’ve described it, whoever holds the Council. There’s no point doubling up on elections in short order. I’d feel the same if it was involving a Reform council. They’re all so cash strapped, I’d rather the money goes on the local services. A year or two isn’t going to damage democracy (as long as it’s not left to drift after the reorganisation). |  |
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 08:35 - Jan 23 with 221 views | DJR |
In the case of the 1974 reorganisation, there were shadow elections in 1973 with those elected then assuming office when the new local authorities came into existence in 1974.
That presumably could have been an option in this case assuming the new council areas are settled, and would have made the cancellation of elections for the old councils more palatable, with the current councillors for those councils carrying on until they were abolished.
It might also have enabled the new councillors to adequately prepare for the different nature of the new councils. [Post edited 23 Jan 8:53]
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| Council Election delays 2026 on 09:19 - Jan 23 with 122 views | Herbivore |
I guess it's not been discussed much because the politically minded on here know and understand the reasons and can see there is a reasonable rationale for it, even if there are arguments on both sides. They aren't being cancelled for no reason. |  |
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