Southend council elections to go ahead in 2026

Southend City Council's elections will be going ahead next spring, the leader has confirmed.

Speculation had been mounting about whether the unitary authority's elections would proceed in May 2026, as some local authorities had requested delays due to a planned overhaul of local government.

The proposals include an end to the two-tier system of district and county councils in favour of new unitary authorities, which would be directly responsible for all local services in their areas from 2028.

But Daniel Cowan, Labour leader of the city council, has now confirmed there will be no delay for the city.

Cowan said elections in May 2026 had been the "consistent" position for the council and that those saying otherwise were spreading "false narratives".

"Government has given areas going through local government reorganisation (LGR) the opportunity to request delays, where appropriate and evidenced, and each area must make a choice based on what is right for them," he said.

"LGR needs to be done right to ensure we create stable, sustainable councils able to deliver high quality services from day one.

"This is not an easy task and requires huge effort from officers whose capacity will be significantly stretched by local elections, pre-election restrictions, and onboarding new councillors."

Cowan said elections cost a "substantial" amount of money and would not be justifiable for some councils but defended his own authority's decision to proceed.

"In some respects, it's akin to hosting an auction for a property scheduled to be demolished," he continued.

"I know not every resident will agree that it is right to spend taxpayers' money on elections to expiring councils or the extra resources we'll need to supplement our officers to complete LGR but this is the decision we're taking in Southend, and we look forward to standing on our record of building a city to be proud of in May 2026."

Essex mayoral elections, along with those in three other areas of England, were postponed from 2026 to 2028, with the government arguing more time was needed to reorganise local government.

Proposals for three, four or five unitary authorities taking over from Essex's 12 districts and two existing unitary authorities are being considered, with final plans to be sent to the government in March 2026.

Elections for Essex County Council and Thurrock Council are also set to proceed in May 2026.

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