Starmer warned councils face 'race against time' to be ready for May local elections after 14th major U-turn
Labour has been forced to backtrack on initial plans to cancel local elections across England following a Reform UK appeal.
Councils face a “race against time” to organise reinstated local elections, Sir Keir Starmer has been warned, as the head of one affected council claimed it raised significant questions over the Government’s wider devolution plans.
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The Government has abandoned proposed plans to postpone the local elections for councils in May, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government confirmed on Monday following a court complaint by Reform UK.
Today, the deputy chief executive of the professional body for election administrators said returning officers and other election staff had lost “months” of planning for the elections that will now take place in 30 council areas on May 7.
Nigel Farage said the Government’s decision to abandon plans to cancel local elections in 30 councils was a victory for Reform UK.
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A total of 63 councils were offered the opportunity to delay May's local elections in December after the Local Government Reorganisation programme was unveiled.
It's the latest in a string of government U-turns, with Labour backtracking on pledges including the government-led grooming gangs inquiry, winter fuel payments, digital IDs, inheritance tax on farmers and the two-child benefit cap.
In a statement on X, Mr Farage said: “We took this Labour government to court and won.
“In collusion with the Tories, Keir Starmer tried to stop 4.6 million people voting on May 7th.
“Only Reform UK fights for democracy,” he added.
With this U-turn coming so late in the day, local election administrators have warned that councils face "an uphill struggle" to be ready ahead of May.
The Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) expressed its "extreme disappointment" at losing time to prepare for the elections.
"These teams now face an uphill struggle to catch up to where they should be," a spokesperson said.
The Government has agreed to pay Reform UK’s legal costs relating to the party’s challenge over the postponement of local elections.
Of the 63 councils offered postponement, the majority expressed a desire to proceed with their elections, with 29 requesting a delay.
Many councils were seen to cite the vast cost of holding elections as the reason.
In a letter to council leaders, Local Government Secretary Steve Reed said he had written to the High Court withdrawing his decision to postpone 30 council elections “in the light of recent legal advice”.
Mr Reed’s message to the High Court added: “The Secretary of State will seek to agree an order with the claimant in the light of this announcement disposing of the claim and will agree to pay the claimant’s costs of these proceedings.”
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government said: "Following legal advice, the government has withdrawn its original decision to postpone 30 local elections in May.
"Providing certainty to councils about their local elections is now the most crucial thing and all local elections will now go ahead in May 2026."
It comes after the Electoral Commission raised concerns last week that five councils - West Sussex, East Sussex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Surrey - have what's referred to as “double delays”.
The term means that councillors will instead serve seven-year terms.
We took this Labour government to court and won.
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) February 16, 2026
In collusion with the Tories, Keir Starmer tried to stop 4.6 million people voting on May 7th.
Only Reform UK fights for democracy. pic.twitter.com/TUS6YGT2Vp
The Local Government Reorganisation Scheme marks the largest shift in local authority structure in a generation.
Under Labour, two-tier systems (county and district councils) are set to be replaced with single-tier "unitary" authorities.
Steve Reed suggested the Government could offer “practical support” to local authorities after reversing a decision to postpone elections to 30 councils in May.
In a letter to council leaders, the Local Government Secretary said: “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.”
Mr Reed said £63 million would be made available to local authorities undergoing reorganisation.
He added: “My officials will be in touch with those affected councils to understand if any further practical support will be required.”