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2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Was Undecided Now Decided (17th Oct 2025 - 09:30:16) We were denied our democratic right to Local Elections in 2025 as the Govt moved to reconfigure council boundaries. Today, the Times is reporting that Hampshire is among a number of councils where the Govt is considering denying Local Elections in 2026 - citing concerns that Reform would win and threaten Labour plans to overhaul and drive efficiencies in local government. Democracy delayed is democracy denied - again. In the meantime, we have the illusion of free will.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Joe (17th Oct 2025 - 12:49:59) i think if anything Reform would probably want to reform the local authority system to get value for money for the council tax payer.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Was Undecided Now Decided (17th Oct 2025 - 15:15:29) Joe, absolutely correct and I need to clarify. The Times is reporting that Labour are scared that Reform will win (very likely as we can see from results elsewhere) and it would be Reform who then seek value for the taxpayer. As a taxpayer, that's what I want - DOGE-level efficiencies from a bloated local government sector. Local Elections are typically seen as a mid-point indication of confidence in the Govt, so not a surprise that Labour are doing everything to deny people the right to vote - as they know change is coming and are desperate to cling to power.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - er (17th Oct 2025 - 16:34:50) Since Hampshire is a Tory run council, this makes no sense to me, other than the fact all sensible people, not just Labour voters, should be pretty worried about the prospect of our councils being run by people, some of whose biggest fans like to paint roundabouts! I'm not sure most people could name a single policy that reform would stand for in Hampshire, beyond maybe stopping the 4% of immigrants who flee here by boat, or something, like that would change everything OK many normal people will vote Reform now because there's a big groundswell of fear of immigrants, especially Muslims, being pushed in the right wing press, and most people are easily led, but do we really want to be under the rule of this party in Hampshire, because I can't imagine they have much of a clue how to actually run a council and I can't think of any actual policies or real world achievements they have, beyond immigration related fears!

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Was Undecided Now Decided (17th Oct 2025 - 17:56:48) How predictable ER. The first discussion on this was about establishing value for the taxpayer by having a right-sized and efficient local government burden. You immediately surfaced, targeting 'people who paint roundabouts' and seeking to change the narrative with your own hatred. I hope you are healing. Your future comments do not deserve any reply.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Sam (17th Oct 2025 - 17:59:16) Still clinging onto the veneer idea of democracy I see. Wasting our time thinking a vote matters.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - passfield resident (17th Oct 2025 - 20:46:30) WUND-I agree more or less with er's post-Reform are big on slogans but do you see any evidence that they have the ability to run councils professionally? Where would you propose making savings? DOGE hasn't gone so well in the US.Your insulting and patronising er is unecessary.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Joe (18th Oct 2025 - 08:26:18) In answer to Passfield resident- the savings to be made in local governments are multiple. There would be merging of district and county councils, so huge office buildings could be sold and converted into apartments or sold and new houses created on brownfield land instead of on green fields. The elections at district and county which cost milllions would go from two costs down to one cost. There would be more working from home by staff which a lot of them would welcome. Yes there would be redundancies but the council tax payer would gain from not having to fund so many employees who are in the local authority pension scheme, and where salaries of some local authority leaders are more than double the Prime Minister’s salary. With everything now being done online does the council tax payer need to fund so many meetings which are mostly not getting things done anyway?

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - passfield resident (18th Oct 2025 - 09:36:06) Joe-I was talking about the Reform party's promises on savings-they are opposed to working from home.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Joe (18th Oct 2025 - 12:11:40) I was answering your point as to whether Reform have the ability to run local authorities professionally - it is the officers these days who run the councils- councillors have to abide by officers reports or they get sent for “ retraining” and that is under the conservative leadership. If layers of costs are removed that is a bonus whoever is nominally in charge of local councils.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Was Undecided Now Decided (18th Oct 2025 - 14:00:17) Labour are not communists. They are an authoritarian regime.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Steve (18th Oct 2025 - 15:07:32) Well communism and authoritarian are not mutually exclusive 🙄 However neither expression is particularly helpful in the context of the current political situation. I rather doubt that when WUND is lying on his (or her) deathbed, hopefully many years from now, they will look back and think 'but if we had only had local elections in 2025' my life would have been so much better.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Scott (22nd Oct 2025 - 08:47:13) Thank you editor✌️👍 For those who haven't noticed, a number of posts have been removed.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Was Undecided Now Decided (4th Dec 2025 - 09:04:35) The Govt is expected to announce tomorrow 5 Dec 2025 that it will again cancel elections due to be held in Hampshire - possibly to 2028. Democracy delayed is democracy denied.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Sue (4th Dec 2025 - 10:25:47) The totalitarian Labour leadership is acting out of fear from the popular Reform, emerging loony lefty parties, and pressures from narrow interest backbenchers. Labour is currently in an aggressive snappy mode. They take away our economy, security, property, culture, liberty and democracy. It could be very dangerous to oppose them now. However, it's a hell of a lot more dangerous not to!

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Trevor Maroney (4th Dec 2025 - 10:46:51) In such a case elections should be held in 2026 for both: Hampshire County /Council and East Hampshire District Council next May! That way we will be governed by locally elected councillors to represent the views of the current electorate for the next 2 years! At the very least where is the self respect of the existing councillors and their faith in and support for democracy? At present the current batch of unelected county councillors have been in power for 6 years. If Labour is allowed to continue with this politically motivated shambles it will undermine voters faith in both their party and democracy! Who knows where that will lead us,

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - D (4th Dec 2025 - 11:26:27) How does it go? "All it takes for Loonie Labour to succeed is for the rest of us to do nothing".

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Joe (4th Dec 2025 - 13:45:05) I think with the re organisation in Hampshire politics it may well be that EHDC is no longer in being so with Hants Cc split up as well they will wait until that is voted on before re organising elections. I notice there are already 5 candidates for the gravy train job of Mayor.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - D (4th Dec 2025 - 18:24:41) So it's official, we are a socialist dictatorship.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Scott (4th Dec 2025 - 19:22:29) @D #baiting #absoluterubbish and you know it. You got a reaction so fill your boots him/her. Skullduggery and underhanded stalling of a vote is not compareable to a blahhhhhhhhh whatever you wrote🤣 You wouldn't have been able to write your profound one liner if it was, you'd have been censored immediately. Ooooh, theres a thought😊

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - D (4th Dec 2025 - 19:39:20) There will be no local elections in some areas for the duration of this Labour government. I don't think "dictatorship" an unreasonable word to use.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Scott (4th Dec 2025 - 20:45:40) Annoying as not being able to vote in local elections may be for whatever reason....We do not live in or under a dictatorship at present. However Panto season is here so here we go... Oh yes we do Oh no we don't Ohhhhh yes we dooooo Ohhhhhhh noooo we really don'tttt.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Joe (4th Dec 2025 - 22:11:54) As far as I can see it is only a delay in voting for a Mayor ( which is a gross waste of money) not taking away the local elections - a different vote.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Sue (5th Dec 2025 - 06:09:23) On the trains and other places they say: Delay? Repay! We paid for OUR elections to take place on time. Contract broken, we should be financially compensated. Money, or the threat of it, can resolve any political shenanigans. Authoritarian Labour is panicking because they have failed and Reform is popular.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Sue (5th Dec 2025 - 06:30:45) OK, you're right. A single (second) "delayed" local election may not qualify for a dictatorship. However when you remember to include Labour's attempt to remove age-old jury trials (power to the People), two-tier policing, top politician corruption, surveillance society, bussing coaches of protesters and their thuggish "security", monies for loyalist unions etc - it's not far off!

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Scott (5th Dec 2025 - 07:26:50) China, Cuba, North Korea are some examples of what a socialist dictatorship is. Complete control and monitoring and censorship with loss of liberty and freedom of movement and free speech of a population. We are seperated from that by some margin. Please any more pros or cons for everyone that wants to biggup or knock Reform direct the traffic to my other post where we can keep it all under one banner and make it a rounded balanced debate.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Charlie (5th Dec 2025 - 16:24:39) D I agree with Scott - we are not a dictatorship and I do not think that this is an imminent scenario. The UK is prevented from becoming a dictatorship by a combination of strong democratic traditions, a system of checks and balances involving Parliament, the courts, and the monarchy, and a politically impartial civil service and armed forces. However, what this Labour Government is doing by delaying local elections is duplicitous and manipulative and the reason is because they know that if local elections were to take place in 2026, the Labour Party could almost be annihilated locally.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - D (5th Dec 2025 - 20:32:11) Charlie, let's just say we are less democratic under this Labour government than we were before it.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Paul2 (6th Dec 2025 - 09:30:32) Charlie, I've worked directly with the civil service and I can assure you that your statement about them being politically impartial in no way matches the reality.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Charlie (11th Dec 2025 - 16:51:20) Paul2 I would be very interested to hear from you of specific cases when the Civil Service has been politically biased. Genuinely interested - I am not trying to score a point. Thank you.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Re (11th Dec 2025 - 18:01:17) I think I’m with Paul2 on civil servants they are a law to themselves. Very much like Yes Minister very near the mark .

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Charlie (12th Dec 2025 - 10:43:54) Re Yes Minister was a TV program. Yes it was very funny but to me the amusing part was that it demonstrated that the Civil Servants were manipulative not politically biased, but it was a TV series not necessarily factual. Apparently Mrs Thatcher loved it. Still waiting for a response from Paul2 with regard to actual instances of political bias in the Civil Service. He should know as he said he has worked directly with the Civil Service. Facts please Paul2.

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - D (12th Dec 2025 - 12:12:11) Use your loaf, Charles. As a civil servant Paul2 would have signed the official secrets act. If he were to broadcast the information you're after he could lose his pension (of which he paid about 7% of his wage into compared to about 4% in the workplace pension scheme, civil service pensions aren't free, you know).

Re: 2026 Local Elections - Govt Considering Delaying Again - Trevor Maroney (12th Dec 2025 - 15:53:09) Returning to the original topic, I have just spoken to EHDC Electoral Services about next May's (2026) elections in Hampshire. They are still planning to hold Hampshire County Council elections this May, i.e., those postponed in 2025. These elections are separate from the postponed, mayoral elections recently announced by the government. I, for one, believed that mayors would be elected at the same time as the new Unitary Authorities, which would make more sense. That said, don’t be surprised if these County Council elections, too, are also postponed until 2027.

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