The government’s decision to call off Exeter’s 2026 spring council elections has been described as ‘one giant Labour stitch-up’.
Local government secretary Steve Reed confirmed last week that he had agreed to a request from Exeter City Council leader Phil Bialyk (Lab, Exwick) to call off the elections which were due to be held in 13 of the city’s 39 council wards.
Cllr Bialyk said there was no sense in holding expensive elections to a council which will be abolished anyway under the local government reorganisation proposals over the next two years.
And he said the council needed all its manpower to prepare for the shake-up, rather than holding elections.
However, the decision has been criticised by opposing councillors, including the leader of Devon County Council, who even offered County Hall’s help to organise the elections of Exeter did not have the resources to do it.
Cllr Julian Brazil (Lib Dem, Kingsbridge) said he was disappointed at the government’s decision.
“To argue in favour of cancelling people’s democratic right on the grounds of not having enough resource to run an election is nonsense,” he said.
“We and one of the district councils offered the city council a commitment to provide resources and capacity to support the elections to go ahead, so that excuse holds no water.
“Government has chosen to ignore that offer of help and I leave people to come to their own conclusions about why they insist on cancelling these elections.
“The losers in all of this of course will be the residents of Exeter in those wards where elections should have been held this May. Their voices have been silenced for nothing but convenience.”
Exeter City Council’s Green group leader Cllr Diana Moore (St Davids) said: “This is one giant Labour stitch-up.
“Labour simply cannot be trusted with local democracy. They are denying people their say in May, treating elections as a privilege instead of a right.”
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