Agenda and minutes

To receive from Members declarations as to disclosable pecuniary, other registerable and non-registerable interests in relation to any Agenda item. See Notes below.

No declarations were received.

The Executive Leader, Councillor S J Conboy to present a report on the implications of Local Government Reorganisation with particular focus on the timing of local elections scheduled for May 2026.

In presenting the report, the Executive Leader Councillor S Conboy drew attention to the point for debate being whether to request to postpone Local Elections 2026 to allow for Officer focus and resource to be directed to Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) or whether to proceed with the planned Local Elections. It was further noted that the Electoral Commission were minded to advise Councils to continue with Local Elections in 2026.

The Leader of the Opposition, Councillor R Martin, opened the debate by thanking Officers and the Executive Leader for calling the Special Meeting and allowing the item to be debated. He expressed his belief that the fundamentally moral thing to do would be to continue with Local Elections in 2026, noting that the convenience of bureaucracy was not worth more than the voice of the people. Referring to the content of the report, he observed that Officer advice that the risks were manageable and that there was sufficient resource to run the Local Elections as planned. He concluded that it was a matter of principle and that Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) were stewards of the district up until the implementation of LGR.

Councillor N Hunt thanked Officers for the report and expressed his opinion that the Local Elections should proceed in 2026. He felt that the report highlighted key risks but that they would not be mitigated should Local Elections be postponed. It was argued that LGR was foreseen and planned and therefore not an extraordinary circumstance, he was therefore of the belief that democracy delayed was democracy denied. He concluded by observing that what the district needed more than anything at this time was certainty and not moving goalposts and this would be achieved through holding the Local Elections in 2026.

In addressing the Chamber, Councillor J Gray expressed his opinion that the residents of the district should be able to express their views on the matter. It was his opinion that in order to maintain a democracy, it was only right that the Councillors of the District Council should surrender their power back to voters and allow them the gift of voting to elect the Councillors they chose at the polls in the Local Elections 2026.

Councillor S Bywater stated that he felt a cancellation of Local Elections would be a betrayal of public trust and that democracy belongs to the people of the district. He reflected that he had served the Country in the Armed Forces so that democracy at home could flourish. He expressed his belief that the question being put to Councils by the Government was not a necessity and was in fact political fear dressed up as accountability. He was of the firm belief that cancelling elections is wrong and that democracy was not optional, therefore he was in support of proceeding with the Local Elections 2026.

Councillor M Hassall made reference to his risk management background and stated that he could understand the spirit of what the Government and Secretary of State intended  ...  view the full minutes text for item 64.