Local elections face further delays as councils struggle to reorganise in time

Opposition parties say Labour is ‘scared of voters’ but government says merging authorities have voiced concerns

Local elections could be delayed again as merging councils lack the capacity for reorganisation, the government has announced, triggering claims from opposition parties that Labour is “scared of the voters”.

Sixty-three council areas could opt to postpone elections until 2027 after some were already delayed until May 2026 as two-tier authorities are being combined into single unitary councils.