63 local councils were offered the chance to delay local elections this year (some for a second time)– 28 said “we don’t need local elections”, 35 said “yes we do!”.

why pay local taxes with no representation!!!

From here:

Councils put back elections – and put up taxes by £280m

“Last month, Steve Reed, the Communities Secretary, gave 63 councils the opportunity to postpone elections for a year if they believed it would interfere with the reorganisation. Although 28 said they wished to do so, the other 35 rejected the plans.”

Not every new or old local authority will have a local election.

“The potential delays come amid a huge reorganisation of local government, with district councils scrapped and merged with their counties to form new unitary authorities, delivering all services. As these have to represent fewer than 500,000 people, it means some county councils will be split up.”

From Brave AI:

“There are 62 unitary authorities in England as of 2026. This number includes the four new unitary authorities formed on 1 April 2023 following the reorganisation of Cumbria, Somerset, and North Yorkshire. These reforms reduced the total number of local authorities in England from 333 to 317.”

The population of England was around 58.6 million in 2024. Note the average in England of 184,500 per authority and the requirement to represent fewer than 500,000 people in any authority; or get split up.

Back to the MSN article:

“It means 3.7 million voters will have not been able (sic) to deliver their verdict on council tax increases in what the Tories have called a “disgraceful attack on democracy”.

That’s not the only outrageous observation in the article:

“Analysis by the TaxPayers’ Alliance has found that, among the 28 councils that have applied to postpone elections, the amount raised in increased council tax since 2021/22 was £283.7m. These councils will increase their council tax take by £71.4m next year.”

A 25% increase in local taxes (a.k.a. “rates”) in the last five years.

One would have thought newly elected councillors and mayors would use the opportunity to “learn the ropes” of the new expanded unitary authorities rather than focussing on their existing, much smaller, local authority for another year or eve two for some authorities.

Typical socialists – taxation without representation.

If there are no elections, why pay “rates at all!

Onwards!

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