Plymouth council confirms elections to go ahead but Exeter unsure

City council elections will go ahead in Plymouth in May, the acting leader of the authority has confirmed, but a similar poll could still be cancelled in Exeter.

The government announced on Thursday that councils were invited to apply to postpone May elections due to the pressures of local government reorganisation.

Jemima Laing, acting leader of Labour-led Plymouth City Council, said the authority was “well advanced” in its preparations and the poll would go ahead.

The May elections will be for a third of the seats on Plymouth City Council and, even if Labour loses every seat it currently holds it will still be the largest party.

Laing said: “We recognise that this may be the right approach for some councils facing capacity challenges due to local government reorganisation – however, this is not the case for Plymouth.

“We are already well advanced in our preparations for the May 2026 local elections and plans are firmly in place. Therefore, the elections will proceed as scheduled.”

There are 57 seats on Plymouth City Council and Labour currently holds 39.

Of the 19 seats due to be fought in May, 10 are currently held by Labour, five by Conservatives with one Liberal Democrat, one Green and two Independents.

Elections could still be cancelled for the Labour-run Exeter City Council where it is possible power would change hands as 13 of the 39 seats are due to be contested.

The leader of Exeter City Council, Phil Bialyk, said he was to discuss the issue with the council’s chief executive ahead of making a decision on whether to request a postponement.

The Liberal Democrat leader of Devon County Council, Julian Brazil, said Plymouth had “done the right thing” and claimed the decision “ramps up” pressure on Bialyk to make a decision.

Brazil said: “In this context, it would be a disgrace if Exeter residents were deprived of the chance to choose who represents them in the Civic Centre.

“If the government is worried about councils being able to deliver services, it should fund us properly and postpone a reorganisation project which is costing millions of pounds and stretching both local authorities and civil servants.”

Devon County Council is holding a special meeting on 9 January to discuss the issue.

The announcement by the government – and its timing on the afternoon of the last day of parliament before Christmas – has drawn widespread criticism from all other parties.

Labour said it was responding to concern from some councils that they lacked the capacity to run elections while implementing major reforms to how local government was organised.

All county and district councils are being abolished in the biggest reorganisation of local government in England in 50 years, with plans for new local authorities to be in place from May 2028.

Councils affected by local government reorganisation have until 15 January to request an election delay.