Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 14 September 2026, to Question 21260, on Local Government: Elections, and with reference to the guidance, Local authority, combined authority, and county combined authority election cycles in England, updated 22 July 2025, what discussions have been made with local authorities on moving the date of the scheduled May 2028 combined authority and county combined authority elections.

Government has received written representations from areas on the Devolution Priority Programme regarding rescheduling the mayoral elections for combined and county combined authorities that are currently scheduled for May 2028. Local leaders also brought these up in conversations with Ministers on recent engagement calls.

We are pleased with the progress made so far on devolution in these areas and reflect positively on the appetite to have a mayor in place sooner. After considering these representations we have concluded that on balance it provides more certainty to stay with the 2028 timetable for mayoral elections in these areas, at which point they will also be joined by the new mayoral elections for areas announced at the Budget.