Local Government: Elections
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the cost to local authorities arising from the postponement of the 2026 local elections and the subsequent reversal of that decision; and whether those costs will be reimbursed.
Answered by Alison McGovern
I refer the hon. Member to the Secretary of State’s Written Ministerial Statement of 23 February (HCWS1349). It is a longstanding principle that government does not comment on or publish legal advice.
Councils are being supported to deliver elections. The administration and cost of running local elections remain matters for local authorities, with wider costs handled in the usual way.
We are also making available up to £63 million in new capacity funding for areas undergoing reorganisation.
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