An article in The Times, by Max Kendix, external, said ministers were “considering accepting private pleas from Tory leaders of seven county councils” to delay local elections currently scheduled for May 2026 until 2027.
The report alleged that council leaders were “lobbying hard” to move the polls back to avoid potential gains by Reform UK and to maintain stability during plans to reorganise local government.
But senior Conservatives in Surrey strongly denied making any such request, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
Surrey County Council leader Tim Oliver said in a post on social media: “Any decision on whether to postpone elections is ultimately up to the government, but we are absolutely not calling for a delay to Surrey’s elections in May next year.
“We expect the government to announce their decision on local government reorganisation at the end of October, and elections to be in May 2026 as planned.”
