New mayoral elections to be delayed in two areas of England

The government is set to postpone elections for newly created mayors in some parts of Southern England.

Local government sources say two out of four areas expected to vote in May 2026 - Essex and the combined counties of Norfolk and Suffolk - will now do so at a later date.

Opposition parties are calling for the elections to go ahead as planned, with shadow local government secretary James Cleverly accusing Labour of "subverting democracy".

These new positions were announced under an extension of the government's devolution priority programme (DPP) in February, which promised "sweeping" powers for local authorities to fast track growth and said the new positions would be created "at pace".

There are reports that elections for the new Sussex and Hampshire mayors will also be postponed.

The Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government said in response to these reports that it did not comment on leaks.

Reform UK's Zia Yusuf suggested that the government was trying to prevent "big wins" for his party, with Labour trailing in the polls.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrats local government spokesperson Zoe Franklin said the party would work to see the vote next May does go ahead, adding, "democracy delayed is democracy denied".

It is not clear why the votes will not be going ahead as planned.

The government had announced the original election date when they said in February that six new areas were joining the DPP.

It said the plans were the "key to unlocking regional growth" and came after "political power has been hoarded in Whitehall" for "too long".

But the body representing district councils warned at the time that the plans could spark "turmoil" and argued "mega-councils" could undermine local decision-making.

Cumbria and the soon-to-be merged triple councils of Cheshire and Warrington were due to have local mayors elected in May 2026 but both have been pushed back by a year.

The former was postponed in a bid to save money, while the latter was delayed after concerns from local leaders.