Keir Starmer's government has abandoned plans to postpone local elections for councils in May after a legal threat. An MHCLG spokesperson said: “Following legal advice, the Government has withdrawn its original decision to postpone 30 local elections in May. Last year ministers announced that certain areas could opt to postpone elections until 2027 as the government reorganises some town halls. I welcome the indication that the Government will provide additional resources to ensure that local council elections can take place and look forward to seeing more detail on this”. Here is a full list of where council election delays were planned- Adur District Council- Basildon Borough Council- Blackburn with Darwen Council- Burnley Borough Council- Cannock Chase District Council- Cheltenham Borough Council- Chorley Borough Council- City of Lincoln Council- Crawley Borough Council- East Sussex County Council- Exeter City Council- Harlow District Council- Hastings Borough Council- Hyndburn Borough Council- Ipswich Borough Council- Norfolk County Council- Norwich City Council- Peterborough City Council- Preston City Council- Redditch Borough Council- Rugby Borough Council- Stevenage Borough Council- Suffolk County Council- Tamworth Borough Council- Thurrock Council- Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council- West Lancashire Borough Council- West Sussex County Council- Worthing Borough Council

Source: Daily Mirror February 16, 2026 18:49 UTC