2.1.3 – Devolution in England
Last week, 28 councils – just under half of those due to hold elections in May – asked the government to delay their elections by a year. This comes amid a major overhaul of how local councils operate in England.
In July 2025, the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill was introduced to Parliament. Alongside this, the Labour government began a programme of local government reorganisation, with the aim of abolishing the two-tier system (district and county councils) and replacing it with unitary authorities that deliver the full range of services. For example, in Surrey, it has been confirmed that the existing county, district and borough councils will be replaced by two unitary councils – East Surrey and West Surrey – from April 2027.
These changes are among the most significant reforms to English local government in decades and have been difficult for councils to manage – hence the requests for a delay.
However, opponents argue there is also a political motivation behind the attempted delays, claiming Labour is “running scared” of facing the electorate. Of the councils looking for a delay, 24 (85.7%) are currently under Labour control. Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, has said that delaying elections was a breach of human rights whilst Reform UK has launched a legal challenge against the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government aimed at preventing the postponements. Ministers are expected to approve many of the requests, but doing so may come at a political cost.