Horsham Council Rejects Idea Of Delaying 2026 Elections

Horsham District Council has firmly rejected the suggestion that local elections planned for 2026 could be postponed until 2027.

Ministers recently indicated that some authorities might struggle to hold elections in May 2026 while also managing Local Government Reorganisation, and said they would be willing to approve postponements if requested.

But Horsham District Council Leader Martin Boffey made it clear no such request will be coming from his authority.

County council elections and the first parish council elections are due to take place in the district in May.

He said:“The right to vote is precious and I would like to reassure residents it is something that Horsham District Council and its leadership take very seriously.

We will not let them down in this regard and if they are denied the opportunity to vote it will not be through the actions or inactions of this council.”

Mr Boffey added that it is “most definitely not the case” that Horsham would struggle to deliver the elections while handling reorganisation work, stressing that running elections is a statutory duty the council is fully prepared to meet.

Elsewhere in West Sussex, Chichester District Council said it has capacity to manage the planned county council elections, despite not having local elections next year.

Crawley Borough Council also confirmed it has not requested any postponement and was surprised to be consulted on the idea.

West Sussex County Council, however, has requested a deferral.

It argues that staging elections in 2026, 2027 (for proposed unitary authorities) and a Mayoral election in 2028 could cost taxpayers around £9 million across Sussex.

It has suggested holding a single set of elections in 2027 instead, though the final decision rests with ministers.

Councils have until 15 January to apply for deferrals. Meanwhile, the Electoral Commission has warned that delaying elections could risk damaging public confidence in the democratic process.