Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on 10 November (HC87207), whether unitarisation and local government restructuring meet the criteria for a "strong justification" to (1) postpone, or (2) cancel, scheduled (a) county, (b) district, and (c) unitary, elections in May 2026.

As set out by the Minister of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on 10 November, single year election postponements in 2025 were intended to help deliver both devolution and reorganisation to the most ambitious timeline possible in the area, and in Surrey, in the context of specific financial challenges. Postponements have previously occurred in areas undergoing local government reorganisation only where councils requested or agreed to the postponement.

Where an election is postponed, the criteria for that postponement is set out in the Explanatory Memorandum to the required secondary legislation for the consideration of Parliament.

Our starting point is for all 2026 elections to go ahead unless there is strong justification otherwise. There are no plans to cancel any May 2026 elections except in Surrey where elections to the new councils of East Surrey and West Surrey will replace scheduled council elections, subject to Parliament.