Divisional Court to hear Reform UK challenge to local government election delays next month

An order issued by Mr Justice Chamberlain on Tuesday (20 January) stated that the judicial review will be listed as a rolled-up hearing and will begin on 19 February.

Chamberlain J estimated that the hearing would take two days to complete.

If permission is granted, the court will proceed immediately to determine the claim, the order stated.

Reform's challenge centres around the Government's proposal to postpone or cancel some local elections that are due to occur on 7 May 2026, and any such orders as may be made by the Secretary of State for Local Government aiming to postpone or cancel any such election.

The Government proposed delaying these elections last year for 63 areas in order to allow them to focus resources on replacing their two-tier local authorities with unitary councils.

Just over a third of the councils eligible have now requested to delay polls, according to analysis from the BBC.

Reform must now send its claim bundle and the order itself to all 63 councils with elections under consideration for postponement, ahead of the hearing.

Any local authority seeking to be joined as an interested party or seeking permission to intervene must file an application by 4pm on 30 January 2026.

According to barristers' chambers 11KBW, the Secretary of State is "in the meantime not prohibited (should he so decide) from laying an order under s.87 of the Local Government Act 2000 which would postpone certain local elections".

Responding to the claim on Monday (19 January), a spokesperson for Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the department is taking “a locally-led approach” to the decision.

It added: “This is an ongoing process, and no decisions have been made yet over any delays. There is a clear precedent for postponing local elections where local government reorganisation is in progress, as happened between 2019 and 2021.”

Julian Blake and Jack Steele of 11KBW appeared for the Secretary of State at today's hearing.

Adam Carey