AN announcement from the government today (Thursday, 22 January) has confirmed that it has approved cancellation of scheduled elections to Basildon District Council in May.

The statement from minister Steve Reed and the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) comes despite a judicial review set to take place in the High Court next month, after Reform UK was allowed to state its case that the government has acted improperly.

Elections will take place in Basildon for Essex County Council seats and for the unitary council in neighbouring Southend. Elections in Thurrock are off.

The government statement in full can be read here.

In December 63 councils involved in local government reorganisation were invited to submit representations to the MHCLG setting out whether cancelling this year's elections was needed to free up capacity to deliver LGR.

Councils had until 15 January to seek a delay and 29 were found to have done so.

On Monday the government wrote to four councils asking them to clarify their stance and be "explicit". One of those is believed to have been Essex, which presented a statement remarkable for the paucity of information and which called on the go ernment to make the decision. Norfolk CC is the only one of these councils set to have their elections postponed.

Earlier this week Reform UK was granted permission for a judicial review to challenge the decision. A court date is scheduled for next month.

If today's decision stands, councillors will have their terms extended. Elections to new unitary authorities will then take place next year and those authorities will operate in shadow form until April 2028.

Elections where legislation will be brought forward to postpone

Adur DC

Basildon BC

Blackburn with Darwen Council

Burnley BC

Cannock Chase DC

Cheltenham BC

Chorley BC

City of Lincoln Council

Crawley BC

East Sussex CC

Exeter City Council

Harlow DC

Hastings BC

Hyndburn BC

Ipswich BC

Norfolk CC

Norwich City Council

Peterborough City Council

Preston City Council

Redditch BC

Rugby BC

Stevenage BC

Suffolk CC

Tamworth BC

Thurrock Council

Welwyn Hatfield BC

West Lancashire BC

West Sussex CC

Worthing BC

Elections that are going ahead

Basingstoke and Deane BC

Brentwood BC

Broxbourne BC

Cambridge City Council

Cherwell DC

Colchester City Council

Eastleigh BC

Epping Forest DC

Essex CC

Fareham BC

Gosport BC

Hampshire CC

Hart DC

Havant BC

Huntingdonshire DC

Isle of Wight Council

Newcastle-under-Lyme BC

North East Lincolnshire Council

Nuneaton and Bedworth BC

Oxford City Council

Pendle BC

Plymouth City Council

Portsmouth City Council

Rochford DC

Rushmoor BC

South Cambridgeshire DC

Southampton City Council

Southend-on-Sea City Council

St Albans City and DC

Three Rivers DC

Tunbridge Wells BC

Watford BC

West Oxfordshire DC

Winchester City Council