Watchdog hits out at potential local election delays

"The Electoral Commission has raised concerns about the prospect of more delays to council elections in England, saying it risks "damaging public confidence". Ministers have indicated they would agree to postpone local polls due next May until 2027 if councils request a delay. The government said some were concerned about their capacity to run the polls alongside a planned overhaul of town halls. But the commission, which oversees elections in the UK, said it did not think "capacity constraints are a legitimate reason for delaying long-planned elections"."

"Vijay Rangarajan, the watchdog's chief executive, said there was also "a clear conflict of interest in asking existing councils to decide how long it will be before they are answerable to voters". Delays to elections risk "affecting the legitimacy of local decision-making," he added. The government plans to get rid of the two-tier system of district and county councils, creating a swathe of new authorities that will be responsible for delivering all local services in their areas from 2028."

"In a statement - published on the last day before Parliament's Christmas break - Local Government Minister Alison McGovern said "multiple" councils had already asked for a postponement. She said they had raised concerns about their capacity to run "resource-intensive elections to councils who may be shortly abolished", alongside the reorganisation of local government. Others had questioned the cost to taxpayers of holding elections for councils that are due to be abolished, she added."

The Electoral Commission warned that further delays to council elections in England risk damaging public confidence in local democracy. Ministers said they would agree to postpone local polls due in May until 2027 if councils request a delay. The government cited concerns about council capacity to run polls alongside a planned overhaul of town halls. The commission said capacity constraints are not a legitimate reason to delay long-planned elections and called the prospect of councils deciding postponements a clear conflict of interest. Delays could affect the legitimacy of local decision-making. Ministers asked 63 affected councils to state by 15 January whether they require postponement.

Read at www.bbc.com