Council will ask to cancel 2026 local election

City of Lincoln Council will ask to postpone the city's 2026 election, its leader has said.

It comes after the government asked local authorities last month to share their views on postponing elections to carry out a major overhaul of local government structures.

Council leader Naomi Tweddle said it wanted to support the reorganisation scheme and avoid the cost of an election, which is more than £170,000.

However, Conservative group leader Thomas Dyer said the council was "running scared of the electorate" and "the people of Lincoln should have their say".

The council said avoiding an election would enable it to fund services that "residents rely on" and freeze council tax.

Tweddle said: "With the cost of living continuing to put real pressure on households, we have an opportunity to ease that burden while ensuring reorganisation is delivered properly, and we believe that's the right thing to do."

But Dyer argued "all elections are costly and impact services".

He added: "We live in a democracy and that's the nature of the system that we have in the UK."

The council is the only authority in Lincolnshire scheduled to hold elections this year.

The council said it was currently in a "transitional, due diligence phase" ahead of the government's decision on how the reorganisation will be structured in Greater Lincolnshire.

The reorganisation, which aims to merge councils into bigger unitary authorities, is expected to be established in 2028 and projected to save £2bn nationwide.

Tweddle said: "We are committed to ensuring that this reorganisation delivers the best outcomes for our residents.

"Implementing a once‑in‑a‑generation transformation of this scale requires extensive work, planning and co-ordination to ensure it is delivered successfully."

Tweddle said the government would confirm its final decision in the coming weeks.

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