Cancellation of May 2026 Local Elections
Tabled 5 January 2026 by James McMurdock
That this House regrets the Government’s decision to invite local councils to cancel anticipated elections; notes with deep concern the impact this will have on the public’s faith in Government; expresses further deep concern that Parliament learned of this proposal through media reports rather than through proper notification; further notes that a similar situation arose only weeks ago in relation to the cancellation of mayoral elections; also notes that the purpose of elections is to ensure that those wielding public power do so expressly and solely with the consent of the people through elections; notes that without this consent the power held is illegitimate; believes that any claim that cancelling elections would save time and money is farcical when considering elections are part of the ordinary business of government and when set against the constitutional importance of maintaining democratic legitimacy; observes that significant structural changes in local government make timely elections more urgent, not less; rebukes the Government's recent anti-election actions; and calls on the Government to immediately reverse these anti-election measures and provide unequivocal assurance that all elections will proceed as planned in May 2026.