Exeter city council elections to be called off

People in Exeter will not get the chance to vote for new councillors this year after the Labour leadership of Exeter City Council decided to ask the government to call off the polls.

The administration says it will save more than a quarter of a million pounds by putting off the elections for 13 council seats which were due to take place in May. The move will also free up council staff to prepare for the forthcoming local government reorganisation.
Opponents say the decision is undemocratic, and Labour are just using a ‘get out of jail free’ card to avoid defeat in May.
Now council leader Phil Bialyk (Lab, Exwick) will write to the government minister in charge of the massive nationwide council shake-up to request permission to call off the May polls. The minister is unlikely to say no.
The city council will cease to exist in its current form in 2028 as reorganisation is brought in.
The decision came after a heated three-hour session of the city council, and Cllr Bialyk quoted the words of the song ‘My Way’ as he said there were ‘exceptional circumstances’ which meant the elections should be called off.
“We have a responsibility to hand over this council and its assets to the next authority in a well-organised and sensible way,” he said.
“This is not easy, but it is about leadership. I will be putting forward my concerns about why I feel a postponement of the elections is appropriate.
“The people of Exeter will have their say this time next year instead.”
But Cllr Diana Moore (Green, St Davids) told him: “People expect elections every year in Exeter. It is not a privilege – it’s a right.”
Eight of Labour’s 22 members on the 39-seat council would be up for re-election this year if the minister decided the polls should go ahead. The party was wiped out across the city in last year’s Devon County Council elections, and a similar showing could see Labour’s control of the council weakened if not lost altogether.
Cllr Alison Sheridan (Reform UK, St Loyes) said: “This is simply about the party in power wanting to keep that power. If these elections are cancelled, trust will be completely broken between residents and their council.”
Two Green seats would be up for grabs, along with one each for the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Reform UK.
Green Party members staged a protest outside the Guildhall before the meeting, demanding that the elections should go ahead as planned.
Cllr Catherine Rees (Green, St Davids) said: “We should expect our elected councillors to stand up for democracy. The only losers if these city-wide elections are cancelled are local residents who won’t get a say on who runs the council.”
Independent councillor Zoe Hughes (Pennsylvania) told the meeting: “Democracy is crucial.
“The suffragettes marched, and protested, and died, because they knew how important the vote was. The trade union movement is based on voting and democracy.
“I have to question why local government would be any different.
“The people of Exeter won’t remember the reasons we gave. What they will remember is the feeling of disenfranchisement – the feeling that they didn’t have a voice.”
And Cllr Michael Mitchell (Lib Dem, Duryard and St James) said he did not believe the elections were a financial issue. “Is this decision really about resources?” he asked. “Or a get-out-of-jail-free card issued by the government?”
Cllr Laura Wright (Lab, St Thomas) said the council faced a ‘rare and exceptional situation’ which could justify calling off the elections. And Cllr Duncan Wood (Lab, Pinhoe) added: “It is not about denying democracy. It’s about ensuring that when residents vote, they vote for a council that will actually exist.”