The government has confirmed their agreement for the postponement of elections in nine council areas.
For May 2025 elections we have updated our pre-election period guide to include the Devolution Priority Programme and guidance for constituent councils having elections within an MCA.
On 16 December 2024, following the publication of the English Devolution White Paper, the Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution Jim McMahon, wrote to all councils in remaining two-tier areas and neighbouring small unitaries to set out plans for a joint programme of devolution and local government reorganisation.
The letter invited councils to reply with requests to join the Government’s fast-track Devolution Priority Programme. It set out that requests from councils that included the postponement of local elections in May 2025 would only be considered where it was clear that postponement will help the area to deliver both reorganisation and devolution to the most ambitious timeframe.
Confirmed local election postponements
On 5 February 2025, the Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution confirmed that in response to the government’s letter of December 2024, 18 councils requested that the government consider postponement of their local elections.
The government has confirmed their agreement for the postponement of elections in the following nine council areas (delayed until May 2026):
- Norfolk
- Suffolk
- Essex
- Thurrock
- Hampshire
- Isle of Wight
- East Sussex
- West Sussex
- Surrey*
On 5 February 2025, the Secretary of State announced the postponements and on 10 February, the Government made the Local Authorities (Changes to Years of Ordinary Elections) (England) Order 2025.
This is Statutory instrument has been made as a negative instrument, which means that Parliament is not required to approve it for it to become law. However, either the House of Commons or the House of Lords can pass a motion within 40 sitting days to annul the statutory instrument and stop it taking legal effect.
The Government confirmed that the remaining nine requests will not be taken forward either because:
- The area was not considered to currently meet the criteria for the Devolution Priority Programme; or
- The area is already part of a (Mayoral) Combined County Authority, so an election delay was not considered essential to delivering both reorganisation and devolution to the most ambitious timeframe; or
- Some areas need to take forward further discussions to reach agreement on devolution plans and so the postponement of the election in these areas is not considered essential to deliver both reorganisation and devolution to the most ambitious timeframe.
*The Government agreed that, for Surrey, reorganisation is essential to unlocking devolution options and a delay to elections would help deliver both reorganisation and devolution to the most ambitious timeframe. Surrey’s path to devolution is significantly dependent on Local Government Reorganisation.
Requests for postponing local elections received on or before 10 January 2025
The Government received letters from the leaders of the following county and unitary councils with requests to join the Devolution Priority Programme that involved postponing their election from 2025 to 2026:
This helpful explainer from MHCLG sets out the recent timeline of announcements and decisions, and an explanation of what happens next.
March update
Minister for Local Government and English Devolution, Jim McMahon published a written statement on local government reorganisation on 24 March 2025. In his statement, he thanked councils for working together to submit their interim plans and confirmed that every area had responded to the invitation to reorganise.
The statement clarified the criteria for delivering new authorities, including further details on population size. The Minister also announced that £7.6 million will be made available in the form of local government reorganisation proposal development contributions, to be split across 21 areas.