'Cancelling local elections was the right thing'

The Labour leader of a council that requested a delay to May's local elections has said it was the "right thing to do at the time", despite the decision being overturned.

Sharon Harvey of Redditch Borough Council cited the difficulty of holding the elections at the same time as work to reorganise Worcestershire's local councils.

The government announced on Monday it had abandoned plans to delay 30 council elections, including in Redditch, following legal advice.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "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."

The decision was reversed in the wake of "recent legal advice", after Reform UK launched a legal challenge against the plans which was due to be heard in the High Court on Thursday.

The Secretary of State, Steve Reed, has written to affected councils saying the department would provide £63m in additional funding to deliver the reorganisation and elections.

In a statement to the BBC, Harvey said: "This was the right thing to do at the time.

"I welcome this latest commitment from government to provide extra funding to support the council on this journey of local government reorganisation which is much needed to streamline and speed up decisions, improve services and empower our communities.

"I look forward to this administration continuing to deliver on the promises we made in our manifesto."

The Conservative group leader, Matt Dormer, described the latest decision as "good news".

He said: "You should never cancel local elections and democracy should always continue.

"I think it's great news, it gives everyone a chance to cast their opinion at the ballot box."

Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.