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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

Applies to England

Documents

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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

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