Correspondence
​​​Local government reorganisation: further letter to council leaders with elections in May 2026
Letter from the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to leaders of 4 councils in relation to their position on 2026 local elections.
This was published under the 2024 to 2026 Starmer Labour government
Documents
PDF, 159 KB, 1 page
This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.
Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email
alternativeformats@communities.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.
PDF, 159 KB, 1 page
This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.
Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email
alternativeformats@communities.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.
PDF, 158 KB, 1 page
This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.
Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email
alternativeformats@communities.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.
PDF, 159 KB, 1 page
This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.
Request an accessible format.
If you use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of this document in a more accessible format, please email
alternativeformats@communities.gov.uk. Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.
Details
On 19 January 2026, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government wrote to the leaders of 4 councils due to hold local elections in 2026.
These councils were:
- Essex County Council
- Norfolk County Council
- Oxford City Council
- Southampton City Council
In the letter, the Secretary of State asked the councils to clarify their position in relation to potential postponement of these elections.
Updates to this page
Published 19 January 2026