The Labour Government’s decision to abandon plans to cancel local elections has been condemned by the District Councils’ Network (DCN).
The cross-party network of 169 district and unitary councils said dozens of wards are now facing a “race against time”.
Ministers had previously invited councils to postpone polls to free up capacity for local government reorganisation, with 30 authorities opting to do so.
Those elections were set to be replaced by shadow polls in 2027 ahead of new unitary authorities coming into force.
However, facing an imminent High Court challenge, the Government has now confirmed the original elections will go ahead.
Councils that stood down election preparations must urgently restart work to secure polling stations and staff.
Cllr Richard Wright, Chair of the District Councils’ Network, said: “Council officers, councillors and local electorates will be bewildered by the unrelenting changes to the electoral timetable.
“Councils were assured by the Government that elections could be legally cancelled but now it seems ministers have come to the opposite conclusion. It’s the Government, not councils that have acted in good faith, which should bear responsibility for this mess which impacts on people’s faith in our cherished local democracy.
“The councils affected face an unnecessary race against time to ensure elections proceed smoothly and fairly, with polling stations booked and electoral staff available.
“If election cancellations were deemed necessary to free up capacity for local government reorganisation to succeed, councils will now be asking where this leaves the reorganisation timetable.
“We need to have faith in the Government’s decision-making as we work on the biggest shake-up of councils in 50 years – but the Government is doing little assure us that it has a strong grasp of the huge legal complexity involved.
