England council elections for 30 areas moved to 2027

A new law moves local council elections for thirty English authorities from May 2026 to May 2027. It’s called the Local Authorities (Changes to Years of Ordinary Elections) (England) Order 2026 and it was made on 3 February 2026, laid before Parliament on 5 February, and takes effect on 27 February. The text is published on legislation.gov.uk as S.I. 2026/96. If you live in one of the councils named, you won’t be voting for your councillors in May 2026. Your next chance will be the ordinary day of election in May 2027, and current councillors will remain in post until four days after that vote.

What this means for your vote: there will be no ordinary council election in May 2026 in the listed areas. The Order resets the date to the ordinary day of election in 2027 and keeps sitting councillors in place until shortly after that poll. A quick timeline you can pin to a calendar: made 3 February 2026; laid before Parliament 5 February 2026; comes into force 27 February 2026. The 2026 ordinary day was 7 May 2026, as referenced in the Order; the replacement election is on the ordinary day in May 2027. These dates come directly from the statutory instrument on legislation.gov.uk.

The councils covered are: Adur District Council, Basildon Borough Council, Blackburn with Darwen Council, Burnley Borough Council, Cannock Chase District Council, Cheltenham Borough Council, Chorley Borough Council, City of Lincoln Council, Crawley Borough Council, East Sussex County Council, Exeter City Council, Harlow District Council, Hastings Borough Council, Hyndburn Borough Council, and Ipswich Borough Council. Also included are: Norfolk County Council, Norwich City Council, Pendle Borough Council, Peterborough City Council, Preston City Council, Redditch Borough Council, Rugby Borough Council, Stevenage Borough Council, Suffolk County Council, Tamworth Borough Council, Thurrock Council, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, West Lancashire Borough Council, West Sussex County Council, and Worthing Borough Council.

Terms of office shift with the calendar. Councillors who would have stepped down after the May 2026 election now stay on until the fourth day after the 2027 ordinary election, unless they resign or vacate the seat earlier. If you vote in East Sussex, Norfolk, Suffolk or West Sussex county councils, the people you elect in 2027 will serve until 2029. For all the other authorities in this Order, except Thurrock, those elected in 2027 serve until 2030. This staging keeps local election cycles working despite the one‑year delay.

Thurrock is treated differently. After the 2027 election, the next ordinary election there is in 2031 and then every four years. The Order also shifts the start date of Thurrock’s updated scheme of elections from 2026 to 2027, tying it to the new timetable. Casual vacancies still get filled. Where a seat became vacant shortly before this law takes effect and would have been filled at the 2026 election, returning officers may hold a by‑election any time from 27 February to 7 May 2026, even if that is beyond the usual thirty‑five working days. Anyone elected in such a by‑election serves until four days after the 2027 ordinary election.

Boundary changes that were due to start in 2026 now begin in 2027 for several places. The Order amends earlier Electoral Changes Orders so that new ward or division maps go live alongside the deferred elections. Named in the legislation are Norfolk (2021), Suffolk (2022), Wealden (2024), West Suffolk (2023), Cheltenham (2023), Stevenage (2023), Redditch (2023), Basildon (2023), Harlow (2023), Cannock Chase (2023) and West Lancashire (2022), plus the Thurrock scheme of elections (2024). In practical terms, that means if your area is on this list you may get a new ward name or boundary at the same time as the 2027 vote, not in 2026.

A quick glossary to read with your class: the “ordinary day of election” is the standard day each May when most local elections are held in England. “Retire” simply means a councillor’s term ends. A “casual vacancy” happens if a seat becomes empty between ordinary elections, for example because of resignation, death or disqualification.

What this means for you as a voter: if your council is named above, expect no local council ballot paper in May 2026. Keep your registration up to date for the 2027 poll, watch for ward boundary information from your council, and keep an eye out for any by‑election notices this spring. Other ballots scheduled in 2026, if any in your area, are separate and not covered by this Order.

For candidates and campaigners: if you planned to stand in 2026, your timetable moves by a year. Campaign plans tied to new ward boundaries should be redrafted for a 2027 start date in the places listed in the amended Electoral Changes Orders. Check your council’s electoral services pages next spring for nomination deadlines when the 2027 notice of election is published.

We wrote this as a learning resource. Use the dates above to build a mini‑timeline, find your council on a map, and discuss why governments sometimes reschedule elections. Then read the primary source yourself on legislation.gov.uk-Local Authorities (Changes to Years of Ordinary Elections) (England) Order 2026, S.I. 2026/96-so you can see how the law explains each step.