Local Government: Elections
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 January 2025 to Question 21478 on Local Government: Correspondence and with reference to the letter of 16 December 2024 to council leaders from the Minister for Local Government and English Devolution, for what reason local elections in May 2025 may be delayed before the conclusions of the statutory consultation on specific unitary proposals.
Answered by Jim McMahon
As set out in in my letter of 16 December, I have heard from some areas that the timing of elections affects their planning for devolution, particularly alongside reorganisation, and to help manage these demands, I will consider requests made by 10 January to delay elections. I also set out that these requests would only be considered where it is clear that postponement will help the area to deliver both reorganisation and devolution to the most ambitious timeframe. This is a high bar to reach and it is not expected that all councils who have applied to be on the priority programme will go forward as a result.
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