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Around a third of England’s eligible councils are Local elections expected to be postponedoriginally scheduled for May.
have Worried that the Labor Party may face annihilation In some areas by British reform wave Local elections, meaning potential delays have sparked anger in Nigel Farage’s party.
Last month, the government said some 63 council areas might postpone elections until 2027 after some told ministers they lacked the ability to reorganize in time.
Meanwhile, Labor plans to scrap the two levels of authority and merge them into a single unitary council by 2028.
According to the BBC, which contacted 63 parliaments, some 22 of them had requested that the vote be postponed before Thursday’s deadline. Some 34 countries will not postpone elections, while seven have yet to confirm their position.
Most of the councils calling for a postponement are Labour-led, but three are controlled by the Conservatives and one is run by the Lib Dems.
The delays have been criticized by the opposition, with Conservative shadow local government secretary James Cleverly accusing Labor of “campaigning on fear of voters” amid dismal support.
“We are clear that these elections should go ahead. Ministers should respect voters rather than disdain them, stop undermining our democratic institutions and let the people of this country make their own decisions,” he added.
The Lib Dems have called for the law to be changed so that “ministers cannot simply delay the election with a huge sum of money”, with party leader Sir Ed Davey saying: “Both Labor and the Tories are afraid of voters, allowing MPs to serve for up to seven years without a democratic mandate.”
Meanwhile, Nigel Farage today launched plans for a judicial review to try to allow the election to go ahead, accusing Communities Secretary Steve Reid of an “abuse of power”.
“We will use all possible means, starting with judicial review,” he added.
The Electoral Commission also expressed concern at the prospect of further postponements of local elections, saying capacity constraints were not a legitimate reason to delay the long-planned vote.
Vijay Rangarajan, the organization’s chief executive, said the move created “unprecedented” uncertainty and could damage public confidence.
“We are disappointed with the timing and content of the statement. Scheduled elections should normally go ahead as planned and will only be postponed in exceptional circumstances,” he said.
Mr Rangarajan added: “In principle, we do not believe that capacity constraints are a valid reason to postpone long-planned elections.
“Extending existing authorizations could affect the legitimacy of local decision-making and undermine public confidence.
“There is a clear conflict of interest in asking existing parliaments to decide how long it will take to be accountable to voters.”
But Local Government Minister Alison McGovern said the government would consider allowing a delay for councils with “genuine concerns” about holding an election in 2026.
She said: “Many councils across the country have expressed concerns about their ability to make a smooth and safe transition to a new parliament and the resource-intensive election of a soon-to-be-abolished parliament.
“They expressed concern about the time and effort it would take to administer an election in a body that won’t be around any time soon, only to hold an election a year later.”
