The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government (Steve Reed)
On Monday 16 February, the Government wrote to the High Court, setting out that I had decided to withdraw my decision to postpone the council elections for 30 local councils due to take place in May 2026 in the light of legal advice.
I invited the Minister for Housing and Planning to reconsider the position afresh on an urgent basis, recognising the pressing timescales involved, and he decided that elections should proceed in May 2026.
I confirmed on 16 February that all local council elections in May 2026 will go ahead, and we have brought forward an order to revoke the previous postponement order laid on 5 February.
I recognise that many of the local councils undergoing reorganisation voiced genuine concerns about the pressure they are under as we seek to deliver local government reorganisation. My officials have been working with them to understand whether any practical support is required.
In addition, I am pleased to be able to confirm that we will provide up to £63 million in additional capacity funding to the 21 local areas undergoing reorganisation across the whole programme, building on the £7.6 million provided for developing proposals last year. I will shortly set out further detail about how that funding will be allocated.
This Government remain committed to ending the two-tier system—and the two-tier cost premium—and establishing new single-tier unitary councils. In many parts of the country, residents face uncertainty about which of their two councils is responsible for vital local services, while their council tax is spent on duplicated structures. This duplication is inefficient and costly, amounting to tens of millions of pounds that could be better directed towards frontline services.
Through this reform, we will build stronger, more effective councils that are equipped to drive economic growth, improve public services, and empower the communities they serve.
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