Local Government: Elections
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 10 February 2026 to Question 109259 on Local Government: Elections, which local authorities submitted applications for an election pilot in May 2026 and subsequently made a request to postpone their May 2026 elections.
Answered by Samantha Dixon
In August 2025, local authorities were invited to apply to pilot a range of flexible voting methods at the May 2026 elections in England, with a deadline of 22 September 2025.
In December 2025, council leaders in local government reorganisation areas were invited to make representations on the potential postponement of local elections and whether this would release essential capacity to deliver local government reorganisation, with a deadline of 15 January 2026.
Three local authorities that had submitted applications to pilot flexible voting methods for the May 2026 elections subsequently requested that their May 2026 polls be postponed. These authorities were Tamworth Borough Council, Stevenage Borough Council, and Redditch Borough Council. These three authorities are not taking part in the pilot scheme in May 2026.
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