Exeter election U-turn: Opposition parties hail ‘victory for democracy’

Voters in Exeter will head to the polls this May after the Government dramatically scrapped plans to postpone local elections.

In a major climbdown following the threat of a High Court challenge, ministers have reversed a January decision to "freeze" democracy in 30 council areas. 

To settle the row, the Government has now pledged £63 million in emergency funding to help authorities like Exeter City Council manage the transition to new unitary status without cancelling the ballot box.

The move marks a significant defeat for the original plan to delay elections for a year, a proposal that had been branded "morally and ethically wrong" by local opposition leaders.

In January 2026, it was announced that elections in 30 council areas - including Exeter - would be delayed allowing authorities to focus resources on preparing for the transition to new unitary councils, which are set to replace district councils. 

The postponement would have affected the 13 Exeter City Council seats scheduled to be contested this May.

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However, the Government has now said the elections will go ahead as originally planned after allocating £63 million in additional funding to help councils manage the administrative pressures of reorganisation alongside delivering local polls.

Responding to the announcement, Phil Bialyk, Leader of Exeter City Council, said the decision followed significant representations about the impact of cancellation.

“The Minister has said that on reflection they would like us to continue with the elections in May. That’s no bad thing given the number of representations that we’ve had about this,” he said.

“Nationally, the Government has found £67 million to help councils prepare for local government reorganisation.

“This is important because part of the reason for a postponement was that considerable resources are needed to move towards a unitary council - there are a lot of complex workstreams that we have to put in place, and capacity was an issue.

“The Government is now saying that it can help us with that capacity. So the elections are going ahead, and our officers will be able to deliver a good election in Exeter.”

He added that the funding addressed earlier concerns about officer capacity but confirmed he would continue to focus on securing a future unitary council for Exeter and the surrounding area.

The original postponement had sparked strong criticism from councillors across all parties on the council.

Liberal Democrat councillor Kevin Mitchell said he had always opposed cancelling the elections, arguing that altering councillors’ fixed terms risked “breaking a bond of trust with the electorate”. 

As one of the 13 members due to face voters in May, he said he had been preparing to resign and re-stand in Duryard and St James to force a by-election.

Fellow Lib Dem councillor Tammy Palmer said she was “pleased that the government have finally seen sense”, adding that residents “must be able to decide who should represent them in their ward and who should ultimately lead Exeter City Council.” 

She also criticised Exeter Labour councillors for supporting the postponement despite offers of assistance from neighbouring authorities.

Independent councillor Lucy Haigh described the development as “another U-turn by central government” and questioned why financial support had not been offered earlier. 

“I argued from the start that we didn’t meet the threshold to cancel the elections,” she said. “Democracy is not a political inconvenience - and taxpayers are not a blank cheque.”

Equity Independent Group co-leader Zoe Hughes said she was “delighted to hear that democracy reigns after all”, stating that residents in her ward had expressed “absolute horror” at the prospect of losing their vote this May.

Conservative group leader Peter Holland reiterated that he had voted against cancelling the elections at Full Council on 13 January. 

He said there were “no compelling reasons” to suspend the democratic cycle and described doing so outside of a national emergency as “morally and ethically wrong”.

The Green Party in Exeter also welcomed the decision. Group leader Diana Moore said: “Voting is a right, not – as Labour seems to think – a privilege,” while Green councillor Tess Read said the party had consistently argued the elections should proceed.

Reform UK councillor Tony Payne said he had opposed the postponement and welcomed the opportunity to contest the poll, adding that his party stands for democracy.

Liberal Democrat group leader Michael Mitchell described the reversal as “yet another Labour government U-turn” and said the elections would provide voters with the opportunity to remove Labour from power. 

Labour currently holds a majority on the council and is defending eight of the 13 seats up for election.

Meanwhile, Devon County Council also welcomed the change of position. Council leader Julian Brazil said: “You should not mess with democracy. The people of Devon have a right to decide who represents them… Today’s decision is a victory for democracy.”

With a third of Exeter City Council seats now confirmed to be contested on 7 May, attention is expected to shift quickly from the procedural dispute to campaigning, with the debate over reorganisation and democratic accountability likely to feature prominently in the run-up to polling day.