Leicestershire County Council elections in May will go ahead

"Our focus now is working with all stakeholders to draw up more detailed plans."

Elections scheduled for May have been postponed in nine council areas in England however Leicestershire's will go ahead.

The County Council requested that the Government postpone the elections planned for May this year until May 2026.

When the English Devolution White Paper was published last December the Government said there were two scenarios in which they were willing to postpone elections: one is related to a priority programme for devolution and the second is related to areas where reorganisation of local government is needed to unlock or enable devolution.  The County Council’s request was made in respect of the second scenario.

The paper outlined that the Government wants to 'facilitate a programme of local government reorganisation for two-tier areas', such as in Leicestershire.

Councillor Deborah Taylor, acting leader of Leicestershire County Council, said: “Whilst it is disappointing to have our request refused, we are still required to submit plans for change. This is the first step towards simplifying a confusing system, protecting front-line services and creating a system of local government fit for the 21st century.  

“It’s a case of when, not if, change is coming– and it isn’t an optional process. All councils in two tier areas and neighbouring unitary councils, in this case, Leicester and Rutland, were invited to submit reorganisation proposals to Government for a new unitary structure of local governance.  All councils in two-tier areas need to put initial bids in by the end of March.   

“It is well known that Leicestershire has been frustrated in trying to achieve any devolution of powers and responsibilities, a frustration which has been shared by MPs and district councils. Since reorganisation is required to unlock devolution, the County Council had bid to join the fast-track programme for reorganisation which would enable devolution at the earliest opportunity. 
 
“Moving the election would have sped up the pace but we still need to get moving. Our focus now is working with all stakeholders to draw up more detailed plans.” 

The next County Council election will take place on 1 May 2025.

Leaders of the seven district and borough councils in Leicestershire have issued a statement following the Government’s confirmation that the county council elections in Leicestershire will go ahead in May.

The council leaders said in a joint statement: “We welcome the Government’s decision to continue with the county council elections this year. 

“This provides a more achievable timetable to develop proposals for a future local government structure for Leicestershire and Rutland.  

“Importantly, it provides more time to engage and consult with our communities about how we move forward. Your voice must be heard in this process. 

“Our communities are at the forefront of our minds when planning how best to deliver services in the future, not only to make sure they feel connected and able to influence those decisions but also retain a sense of pride in the places they live and work. That is clearly important to people.  

“It will also provide more time to gather the evidence to support our proposals which we are confident will deliver savings to ensure funding is channelled towards frontline services. The district councils are working together on these plans. 

“We have already made it clear that we have grave concerns over Leicestershire County Council’s proposals for a single unitary council for Leicestershire. With a population of around 750,000 people and 800-square miles of countryside including many towns and villages, it would be one of the biggest unitary authorities in the country. This would be too remote, too cumbersome and inaccessible, from the communities we serve.  

“For the sake of our communities, we must keep the local in local government.”