'Zombie council' accusation as elections cancelled

Exeter City Council faces being run by a "zombie administration" according to critics of a decision by the Labour leader of the council to request the cancellation of May elections.

The government has invited councils affected by the reorganisation of local government - which will see all district and county councils abolished - to ask to postpone elections to focus work on a transition to new unitary authorities.

Phil Bialyk, Labour leader of the council, said cancelling the election would save money and allow staff to focus on the reorganisation.

Michael Mitchell, leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the council, said the council would now be a "zombie administration" without legitimacy.

Exeter is one of 23 councils across England known to be requesting cancellation of elections.

Bialyk told councillors he would be asking the government to cancel the May elections in Exeter at the end of a four-hour long heated debate on Tuesday.

Responding to the decision, Mitchell said: "I'm appalled we've got a situation where the people of Exeter are not being able to decide or renew their contract for the councillors of Exeter to carry forward the work of ECC until 2028.

"The danger is by this decision, by denying democracy at this stage, Labour are effectively creating a zombie administration made up of the walking dead - especially their eight councillors who should be standing for re-election and getting a fresh mandate on 7 May."

Green Party councillor Tess Read said: "I think this is very disappointing news for the residents of Exeter - because there's no justification for cancelling elections.

"It's hard not to think this decision is politically motivated - we know that in a recent Devon County Council election Labour lost all its seats.

"Labour has eight seats to lose in this coming election in May - if it loses all those seats the Green Party is the biggest party if we take all those seats."

Bialyk said: "I have to think about the staff - I have to think about the services in Exeter, I have to think about the capacity we need to have in order that we can get a unitary authority for Exeter and the surrounding areas."

The government is currently considering various plans for how Devon should be carved up into new unitary authorities with elections to be held in May 2027 ahead of the new councils being launched in April 2028.

Bialyk said: "There will be elections in 2027 - that is the goal that I'm fighting for to make sure Exeter's services are delivered in a sensible way."

In response to accusations of being scared of losing seats, Bialyk said: "Nothing is certain - we're convinced we're making the right decision here.

"I'll be judged on what Exeter looks like going forward and we will be putting forward proposals for all of that."

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