“The Government can confirm that all local elections in May 2026 will now go ahead.” In a letter sent on 16 February, Housing Secretary Steve Reed told council leaders the postponements had been withdrawn and officials would move to revoke the secondary legislation. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)

The revocation cancels the Local Authorities (Changes to Years of Ordinary Elections) (England) Order 2026, which would have pushed votes in 30 areas back to 2027. That order (SI 2026/96) was due to come into force on 27 February, but will now be superseded so ballots proceed this spring. (statutoryinstruments.parliament.uk)

For the North, this puts Lancashire back on the campaign trail. Councils named in January included Blackburn with Darwen, Burnley, Chorley, Hyndburn, Preston and West Lancashire; Pendle was later added on 29 January. All are now expected to run polls on Thursday 7 May 2026. (gov.uk)

Ministers say the U‑turn followed fresh legal advice amid a judicial review launched by Reform UK. In the same letter, the department told the High Court it would agree to dispose of the case and pay the claimant’s costs; reporting overnight suggested a six‑figure bill. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)

Council leaders called it “an unnecessary race against time” to organise ballots, warning of pressure on venues and election staff already stretched by reorganisation work. Their message: clarity is welcome, but it should have come weeks earlier. (theguardian.com)

To help keep services moving while running full elections, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has pledged up to £63m in capacity funding across 21 reorganisation areas, on top of £7.6m provided last year. Details on allocations will follow. (assets.publishing.service.gov.uk)

Parties and independents now have a tight timetable. Voters go to the polls on Thursday 7 May 2026; the Electoral Commission lists 20 April as the registration deadline, with postal and proxy cut‑offs on 21 and 28 April respectively. Candidate nominations close at 4pm on Thursday 9 April. (instituteforgovernment.org.uk)

All this sits alongside the wider shake‑up of local government. While council contests are back on, several devolution‑priority mayoral elections have been pushed back - including Cheshire & Warrington and Cumbria to May 2027 - with others potentially later. (instituteforgovernment.org.uk)

Inside town halls from Blackburn to Chorley, returning officers now have weeks to secure polling places, recruit and train staff, and confirm counts. The scrapped postponement had been justified as freeing capacity for reorganisation; the government has now chosen to fund that work instead. (gov.uk)

For residents, the headline is simple: local choices will be made on 7 May. For campaigners, it’s a short, sharp run‑in. We’ll track the funding allocations and any pinch‑points - especially in Lancashire - as councils get on with the job. (instituteforgovernment.org.uk)