WORCESTERSHIRE County Council has asked the government to postpone this year’s local elections which are due to take place in May.
In a letter to the minister for local government, leader of the county council Simon Geraghty asked for the postponement to work towards proposals for a unitary authority in Worcestershire.
If approved, countywide elections would be delayed until May 2026 with a view to electing councillors to a new unitary authority to directly replace the county’s existing devolved councils in rural districts.
The call has been made in response to the Labour government’s devolution white paper and would postpone elections for all 57 seats on Worcestershire County Council scheduled for May 1.
Currently, Worcestershire operates under a two-tier authority system with Worcestershire County Council responsible for services including highways and social care and six district councils in charge of planning and housing.
Under Labour’s devolution white paper proposals they are arguing that single tier authorities will help streamline local government services and are inviting councils to submit proposals for changes before March.
In his letter to Jim McMahon, minister of state for local government on Wednesday, Mr Geraghty wrote: “We are writing to ask you to exercise your Ministerial powers to postpone the County Council elections.
“This will give us the time to work with partners and stakeholders to put together proposals for local government reform that are necessary to unlock devolution for Worcestershire.”
Reorganisation could see a new ‘shadow’ authority elected in May 2026 marking the end of all councils in Worcestershire in 2027, in what is being described as an ‘ambitious timescale’ by Mr Geraghty.
In response to Mr Geraghty’s letter, Liberal Democratic county councillor Dan Boatright-Greene branded the move as ‘undemocratic’.
He added: “I am not against a unitary authority but I am against a handful of people deciding the political make up of an entire county without consulting residents or elected members.”
