Hampshire county councillors are set to decide whether to back the Government’s controversial proposal to delay local elections scheduled for 2026.

The council will debate the proposal at an extraordinary full council meeting on Monday, January 12, after ministers asked councils involved in local government reorganisation to say whether planned elections should be postponed to allow authorities to focus on structural reform.

In December 2025, the Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness, Alison McGovern, wrote to the leaders of 63 local authorities due to hold elections in May 2026, including Hampshire County Council.

Councils have until Thursday, January 15 to respond to the letter, in which Ms McGovern said that if councils believed there was no justification for postponement, the Government would take those views into account.

Since the announcement, the leader of Hampshire County Council, Cllr Nick Adams-King, has been clear that county elections are vital for local democracy and accountability, and that he has not, and will not, request a delay to the 2026 poll.

Southampton City Council leader Cllr Alex Winning has taken a similar stance, saying he does not intend to ask for elections to be postponed.

Across Hampshire, 11 councils are currently scheduled to hold elections on May 7, 2026.

The most recent full elections for Hampshire County Council were held on May 6, 2021, when all 78 seats were contested under the authority’s four-year election cycle.

The Isle of Wight Council has also not held a full election since 2021.

Elections for Hampshire County Council and several district and borough councils had already been delayed once, after polls originally scheduled for 2025 were cancelled by the Government and pushed back by 12 months.

Despite the uncertainty, the county council says preparations for the 2026 elections are already under way.

An elections board has been established, and formal engagement and letters of direction have been issued to deputy returning officers.

The cost of delivering the cancelled 2025 elections was estimated at around £2.8 million.

For the 2026 elections, costs are still being reviewed. The council said that some expenses are expected to rise because of inflation, but holding some elections at the same time in eight districts should help keep costs down.

The current estimate is between £2 million and £3 million.

Councillors will decide whether to support or reject the Government’s plan, with the cabinet set to send its response by January 15.