Member

In recent months, planned elections have been deferred across the country. The Electoral Commission has been consistent in its guidance that scheduled elections should normally proceed as planned and be postponed only in genuinely exceptional circumstances. It has warned that extending the mandates of sitting councillors can raise questions about the legitimacy of local decision-making and risk eroding public confidence. It has also said that there is a clear conflict of interest in the Government asking existing councils to decide how long it will be before they are answerable to voters.