The party has warned it intends to challenge any decision to postpone votes this May, despite many authorities requesting new dates.
Reform leader Nigel Farage has stated he will seek a judicial review if the central government accepts requests from a number of councils for local elections to be delayed.
Many town, county and city halls have asked for more time to prepare for voting due to major overhauls of how powers are devolved taking place. New local government structures are coming into play across England.
Controversy stems from the fact many authorities requesting postponements are currently held by Labour. Reform has accused these powers of trying to avoid defeat at the ballot box at a time when their party is languishing in the polls, and obstructing democratic process.
Lucy Galvin, leader of the Green Party in Norwich, also claimed the proposal would have a negative impact and questioned whether the ‘cost of public confidence’ had been considered.
“This is about doing our best for democracy, a precious thing which is currently under attack,” she told the Eastern Daily Press.
However, according to the city’s Labour administration, the town hall stands to save £250,000 by avoiding stopping work to make way for the elections. Mike Stonard, leader of Norwich’s Labour group, also pointed to local election delays in 2019 and 2021, another period of upheaval within many constituencies, as proof this is not an unprecedented measure.
At the time of writing, 23 councils have requested new dates for elections due to administrative changes. These include East and West Sussex, Suffolk, Exeter, Preston, Norwich and Peterborough. 33 are still pressing on with plans for May. A further seven are undecided.
Image: Phil Hearing / Unsplash
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