“Pendle elections are back on.” The line landed from local campaigners just as ministers confirmed all postponed polls will now take place on Thursday 7 May 2026. For the North West, it means voters in Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Chorley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Preston and West Lancashire are heading to the ballot box after all. (pendlelibdems.org.uk)

The reversal follows a formal move by the government to unwind last month’s decision to push 30 local contests into 2027. In a letter to council leaders, the Secretary of State confirmed the department will revoke the secondary legislation so every election due this spring proceeds on time. (gov.uk)

Ministers set out the change in writing to the High Court on 16 February, acknowledging that housing minister Matthew Pennycook reconsidered the position “afresh” and that the government would cover the claimant’s legal costs. The department’s note makes clear: all local elections in May 2026 will go ahead. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)

Northern councils are squarely in scope. Alongside authorities in the South and Midlands, Lancashire seats that had been paused - including Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Chorley, Hyndburn, Pendle, Preston and West Lancashire - are back on the timetable, according to lists compiled by Sky News and independent election trackers. (news.sky.com)

Town halls now face a compressed run‑in. Returning officers who had cancelled venue bookings and paused recruitment must rebook polling stations and staff at speed - a task council leaders describe as a “race against time”. Whitehall says it has heard the message and will provide up to £63m in extra capacity funding across the 21 reorganisation areas. (theguardian.com)

The statutory route here matters. The now‑revoked measure - the Local Authorities (Changes to Years of Ordinary Elections) (England) Order 2026 (SI 2026/96) - had shifted polls in 30 councils from May 2026 to May 2027. Today’s revocation means those votes proceed this spring. (statutoryinstruments.parliament.uk)

Why the U‑turn? After a legal challenge was launched, officials advised ministers that the department was likely to lose in court if it tried to keep the postponements. The Guardian reports Pennycook took the final call, with the Electoral Commission and sector bodies warning of practical headaches from a last‑minute change. (theguardian.com)

Nationally, the reversal is already rippling through devolution plans. In Norfolk and Suffolk, leaders have voiced fury and threatened to walk away from local government reorganisation deals - a sign that the politics around structural change will stay febrile even as ballots go ahead. For Northern readers, it’s a reminder that reorganisation debates and election timing are now on separate tracks. (theguardian.com)

Closer to home, parties are dusting off selections and leaflets. Preston expects 16 of its 48 seats to be contested on the day, while Pendle councillors and activists say the immediate focus is booking venues and marshals. The message from campaigners is simple: the countdown to 7 May is back on. (en.wikipedia.org)