Council calls for local elections to be postponed

A Staffordshire council set to be abolished in two years has asked to postpone this spring's local elections.

Tamworth Borough Council, where a third of the seats are due to be contested on 7 May, faces the axe along with nine others in Staffordshire as part of local government reorganisation (LGR).

The leader of the Labour-run authority, has written to the government to ask for the May elections to be postponed in the circumstances, saying it would allow a focus on LGR, and while not an easy decision, was a "pragmatic" one. More than a third of eligible councils in England have asked to postpone their May elections.

Critics of postponement say not going ahead removes democratic opportunity.

By delaying elections, they warn, members cannot be challenged at the ballot box should reorganisation itself be delayed.

Councils in Staffordshire are due to be replaced by new unitary authorities in 2028, meaning councillors elected this year may only serve half their terms.

In December, the government told councils that it could agree to postpone elections in areas affected by LGR.

Local government minister Alison McGovern said some authorities had raised concerns over capacity issues, although she insisted that no council would be forced to postpone elections.

Authorities were given until 15 January to make their case on the issue.

For Tamworth, leader Carol Dean said she had taken the decision to ask for the postponement after consulting with group leaders and opposition members.

"Democratic accountability matters greatly to us, and in normal circumstances we would always want elections to proceed as planned.

"However, we need to take a balanced and pragmatic approach to how we best serve Tamworth residents as we prepare for local government reorganisation," she said.

Simon Tagg, leader of Conservative-run Newcastle Borough Council, announced last month that there were no plans to postpone the authority's scheduled all-out election on 7 May.

Cannock Chase District Council is also due to have elections in May, but has yet to confirm whether these will go ahead.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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