Correspondence

​​​Local government reorganisation: further letter to council leaders with elections in May 2026

Letter from the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to leaders of 4 councils in relation to their position on 2026 local elections.

• From: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and The Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP
• Published: 19 January 2026

Applies to England

Documents

Letter to leader of Essex County Council

PDF, 159 KB, 1 page

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Letter to leader of Norfolk County Council

PDF, 159 KB, 1 page

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Letter to leader of Oxford City Council

PDF, 158 KB, 1 page

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Letter to leader of Southampton City Council

PDF, 159 KB, 1 page

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Details

On 19 January 2026, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government wrote to the leaders of 4 councils due to hold local elections in 2026.

These councils were:

• Essex County Council
• Norfolk County Council
• Oxford City Council
• Southampton City Council

In the letter, the Secretary of State asked the councils to clarify their position in relation to potential postponement of these elections.

Published 19 January 2026