Warwickshire County Council leader pressing ahead with election delay

Warwickshire County Council leader, Izzi Seccombe, has forged ahead with plans to create a unitary authority for Warwickshire by calling on the government to postpone the May local elections.

Delays to the election cycle have been recommended to allow the council’s application to participate in the Labour government’s new local governance initiative to come to fruition.

The move plans to shake up local powers by abolishing the current county and five district borough councils to form a unitary authority, which would take charge from April 2027. The unitary authority would have broader powers to circumvent bureaucracy, provide simpler governance, and deliver local services more efficiently.

The main grievance locals have is the possible delay […] to the May election cycle

The reform has faced little support, with many arguing that ongoing council elections would be a waste of money as they would soon be abolished in favour of the unitary authority.

The Conservative Council has estimated that the cost of the 2025 elections would be “just short of £1 million” with the “likelihood” that a cycle would be required again for the new authority in 2026. Cllr Seccombe has pointed out the economic strain that two election cycles would have on an already challenged budget.

While most have accepted that a unitary authority is inevitable in Warwickshire, some have objected that local businesses and residents have not been properly consulted. The main grievance locals have is the possible delay, posed by those backing the reform, to the May election cycle.

“We owe it to our residents to explore all potential models properly to make sure we get it right”

Jodie Gosling, MP for Nuneaton and Rachel Taylor, MP for Bedworth and North Warwickshire

Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors have criticised the election delay, claiming that it is merely a way for the current administration to keep power for an extra year. Such criticisms have followed projections that the Conservatives will lose in the May elections due to a recent uptake in Green, Liberal Democrat, and Labour supporters in Warwickshire.

In a joint statement, MP for Nuneaton, Jodie Gosling, and MP for Bedworth and North Warwickshire, Rachel Taylor, said: “We owe it to our residents to explore all potential models properly to make sure we get it right.

“There is not one simple solution, and these decisions need to be made by a democratically elected council, not an out-of-date Conservative administration attempting to swerve voters after a disastrous general election defeat last July.”

Cllr Seccombe denied claims that she is looking to gain a political advantage by delaying local elections. She stated that the decision to pursue the deal was in the interest of council staff and residents, rather than in the self-interest of the Conservative party.

The government will now make a final decision on whether to grant an election delay.