More than a third of councils to delay May elections: Search for your local authority

Which councils are expected to postpone their local elections in May? ITV News Political Correspondent Harry Horton reports

By Senior Politics Producers Lili Donlon-Mansbridge and Elisa Menendez

More than a third of councils in England have asked to postpone their local elections in May as part of a major shake-up to local government.

A total of 29 local authorities have asked to push back their ballots with 19 of them being councils run by Labour, ITV News understands.

Some elections were delayed last year until May 2026 as part of Labour's overhaul to local government. However, the government announced before Christmas that some elections may be delayed yet again, pushing them to 2027.

Ministers are planning to abolish the two-tier system of district and county councils in the hopes of making the system more streamlined and offering better services to voters.

Last month, ministers wrote to 63 councils that were scheduled to hold elections in May, offering the option to delay them because the restructure is taking longer than expected.

Ministers informed the selected councils they would authorise the posponements if there were "genuine concerns" about the ability to deliver elections alongside the restructuring plans.

Labour has sparked backlash for the move with opposition critics accusing them of "running scared" of voters, at a time when the party is doing badly in the polls, and smaller parties such as Reform UK and the Green Party are surging.

The majority seeking a postponement are councils held by Labour, however there are three Tory and one Lib Dem local authorities, while the others are of no overall control - meaning no single political party has achieved a majority of seats.

Local authorities had until midnight on Thursday to confirm their decision with ministers.

Has your council asked to postpone May's elections?

To find out if your local authority has requested to delay their local elections, type the name of your council in the search bar below to find out.

ITV News has verified the decision of all 63 councils that were given the option to postpone.

Suffolk Council is listed as "position unclear" because it has not directly asked for elections to be postponed. However, the council wrote to ministers raising concerns about capacity constraints, which they fear could lead to elections being pushed back. Ultimately, councillors believe the decision is for central government to make.

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It has already been confirmed that some mayoral elections won’t take place until 2028. They are Greater Essex, Brighton, Norfolk, Sussex, Hampshire and the Solent, and Norfolk and Suffolk.

Sir Keir Starmer argued that his government is introducing the "biggest reorganisation of councils for 50 years" and that it is "only right" to ask "whether it makes sense to elect people to positions when the council itself is going to change in a very short period of time.”

Health Secretary Wes Streeting also defended the decision and pointed out that councils from a range of political parties are planning to delay.

"It's sensible to postpone elections for a short period - and it really must be a short period," he said, adding, "We as the government don't escape scrutiny and criticism on any given day of the week or year.

"There will be lots of elections taking place in May and they're important."

Streeting: 'It's sensible to postpone elections for a short period - and it really must be a short period'

Shadow local government secretary Sir James Cleverly accused Labour of "running scared of voters because they know they are set for a ballot-box battering due to their disastrous performance in office".

“This government is denying democracy and depriving local communities of the right to choose who represents them. As a result, some councillors will now end up serving a seven-year term," he added.

“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.”

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