Gloucestershire plans to postpone local elections

Gloucestershire County Council is applying to the government to postpone its elections in May 2025.

It comes as the county prepares to form a unitary 'super council' which would see district and county authorities merging.

The Conservative leader of the council, Stephen Davies, said the decision to suspend the vote was not a political one and was being considered because it will speed up the transition process.

Gloucestershire County Council will find out in February whether its bid to postpone May's vote has been successful.

Gloucestershire has a two-tier council structure made up of six district councils which cover Gloucester, Cheltenham, Stroud, Tewkesbury, the Cotswolds and the Forest of Dean. Gloucestershire County Council sits above this.

But the government has announced plans for devolution which would mean a major redesign of local government and a push towards unitary authorities.

If permitted, the BBC understands an election for the new shadow unitary authority would take place in 2026, with a full vote for the new council held the following year.

The county will be eligible to become part of a combined authority with a Metro Mayor once it switches to a unitary model.

"There is no clean solution to all of this," Davies said.

"It's expensive to the public if we run another election only two years after this one.

"And some continuity while we get on with achieving the unitary [authority] is in my view a benefit."

Combined authorities cover larger geographical areas and a number of local councils. They are run by directly elected mayors.

Gloucestershire has three main options when it comes to joining a combined authority.

It could apply to enter the existing West of England Combined Authority (Weca) which covers Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset (BANES), or it could look to form a new authority with either Swindon and Wiltshire, or Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

Davies said the county council is undertaking a "courting" process with other areas.

"I'm not fixed on this, but my gut feel is that Gloucestershire generally looks south to Bristol way, rather than north to Birmingham way," he added.

"But I'm sure there will be many opinions, and we will consult and find a way people feel is the best way forward."

The government has promised greater powers and funding to combined authorities, but "deep concerns" around the move have been raised by some political leaders.

Green Party leader of Forest of Dean District Council, Adrian Birch, said a unitary authority would lead to a "democratic deficit" in Gloucestershire.

Similarly, Catherine Braun, Green Party leader of Stroud District Council, raised fears over the level of control held by single posts.

She said: "I welcome the principle of devolution, the new powers to improve bus and train services, and stronger rights for communities to buy assets, like youth clubs and sport facilities.

"However, I'm concerned about the concentration of power in the hands of a few individual mayors who could place national politics over the needs of Gloucestershire communities."

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