The UK Government has abandoned plans to postpone local elections across 30 councils this May after a legal challenge from Reform UK forced a dramatic U-turn. Local Government Secretary Steve Reed confirmed the withdrawal Monday in a letter to council leaders, following recent legal advice that undermined the government's position.
The decision provides immediate certainty to councils preparing for May 7 ballots. The government had initially proposed delaying elections to facilitate what it described as the most ambitious local government reorganisation in a generation. But Reform UK successfully challenged the postponement in court, prompting the ministry to reverse course.
Reed acknowledged the pressure on affected councils in his letter. «I recognise that many of the local councils undergoing reorganisation voiced genuine concerns about the pressure they are under as we seek to deliver the most ambitious reforms of local government in a generation,» he wrote. The government will provide £62 million to local authorities undergoing structural changes and has agreed to pay Reform UK's legal costs.
Political Fallout
The U-turn triggered sharp criticism across the political spectrum. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage declared victory on X: «We took this Labour government to court and won.»
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch condemned what she called «predictable chaos from a useless Government that cannot make basic decisions». She added: «Even the simple stuff that should be business as usual gets messed up,»
Shadow local government secretary Sir James Cleverly went further, dismissing Labour as a joke and declaring Reed's credibility «now completely gone».
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said the government had been «forced into a humiliating U-turn». He proposed a legal amendment to strip ministers of the power to «cancel elections on a whim». «That is why the Liberal Democrats have brought forward an amendment to change the law, stripping the Government of this power and ensuring that the public's voice is protected by statute, not left to the whims of ministers,» he said.
What Happens Next
A court hearing is scheduled for Thursday. The affected councils include city authorities such as Lincoln, Exeter, Norwich, Peterborough and Preston, along with district councils including Cannock Chase, Harlow and Welwyn Hatfield. County councils East Sussex, West Sussex, Norfolk and Suffolk are also involved.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said providing certainty to councils about their local elections is now the most crucial priority. Reed confirmed his officials will contact affected councils to assess whether further practical support is needed.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
