Unanimous opposition to prospect of postponed Exeter elections

Unanimous opposition emerged at a Devon council against the prospect of elections in Exeter being cancelled this year.

Members of Liberal Democrat-run Devon County Council expressed an uncommon level of unanimity in the chamber on the issue, clearly expressing a view that the scheduled May elections for Labour-controlled Exeter City Council should progress as planned.
The government has invited 64 councils in England to say if they would like elections postponed this year, and has invited comments from town halls.
The ultimate decision will be made by Westminster, which made the offer to councils due to concerns from some about the pressure on local officials of running an election at a time when they are also on the cusp of a massive reorganisation.
The letter from government was addressed to leaders of councils with elections in May 2026, meaning Devon County Council does not technically appear to be a recipient.
But its leader, Councillor Julian Brazil (Liberal Democrat, Kingsbridge), called a special meeting to debate the issue in a bid to formulate a comprehensive letter to government about its views.
Devon County Council does not have any Labour councillors, and so some queried the necessity for a meeting where the party couldn’t respond to comments, while another questioned whether the whole thing could have been done on Teams.
Exeter City Council’s leader, Phil Bialyk (Labour, Exwick) sat in the public gallery watching proceedings.
“I intended to write a pretty scathing response to the minister’s letter but I wanted to hear the views of the full council,” Cllr Brazil said.
“I’m hoping we can come to a consensus which will give more strength as we will be speaking as one.”
He added that he felt that postponing elections was “instinctively the wrong thing to do”, and that the letter had also prompted further concern about the pace at which local government reorganisation is being proposed. This is the process whereby all councils will be unitary, meaning Devon’s existing system of a county council and districts will be abolished.
“Local democracy thrives on regular, timely elections, and any disruption must be justified and accompanied by full transparency,” said Conservative member Councillor Dermot McGeough (Northam).
“The Labour government is putting so much pressure on our council, and I don’t agree with local government reorganisation – it is total madness as the residents of Devon will pick up the bill.
“So I fully support [Cllr Brazil] here.”
Others echoed fears of “local democracy being undermined” and thousands of voters across the country potentially being “disenfranchised”.
But Reform UK’s leader, Councillor Michael Fife Cook (Yelverton Rural), while in agreement the election should go ahead, queried whether the meeting had been necessary.
“I want to draw attention to the elephant in the room, which is that we are not voting on this but just giving our words, so I believe we could have saved the public money and done this on Teams or via email,” he said.
“We have no Labour councillors here, so the likelihood that we would all probably agree that democracy is something we want to vote for was high.
“The leader of the council knows he has my support on this issue but I do worry about the cost and I’m not happy we’re spending money this way.”
Councillor Andy Ketchin (Green Party, St David’s & Haven Banks), who also represents the Newtown and St Leonard’s ward on Exeter City Council, said the Devon meeting was “like kicking a puppy”.
“Should we be here discussing an election we have no role in,” he said.
“It’s playing politics. Labour isn’t here to defend itself or make their case.”
But he criticised the prospect of the election being cancelled, claiming it wouldn’t be to save money as “Exeter, like all other councils, has been trimming its budget for time immemorial”.
“And it won’t be because it is too difficult to organise as every year there is help to run what is a well-oiled machine,” he added.
Reform’s Councillor Sue Davies (Hatherleigh & Chagford) added it would have been “quicker to do a show of hands”.
“Many in Devon will be wondering why we are having this debate given the expense incurred, but it is worth remembering that we represent the whole of the county, and as Cllr Brazil pointed out, if we have a general consensus that the prospect of postponed elections in Exeter is wrong, then that would be a good thing for the council and Devon.”
Councillor Andrew Leadbetter (Wearside and Topsham) the leader of the Conservative group, said he supported Cllr Brazil in the move to “resist the cancellation of any elections”.
“I agree we have been poorly treated by national governments of all colours, and we have witnessed, during this local government reorganisation episode, such a rush, and so I support the view to get it right and slow things down.
“On this matter alone, I stand firmly with you leader.”
Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service after the meeting, Exeter City Council’s Cllr Bialyk said members of Devon County Council had “interpreted the minister’s letter for their own political reasons and I understand that”.
“They are trying to make a jibe at Labour, and Labour in Exeter in particular,” he said.
“But they are all missing the point of what the minister is asking, and also, it is the minister that makes the decision to postpone the election, not me or the city council.”
Cllr Bialyk added that all of Exeter City Council’s members would have an opportunity next week to discuss the issue, and that he would encapsulate those views in the response to government.
“But this is about capacity,” he added. “Devon County Council does not like the fact Exeter wants to go solo and become unitary, they hate it and loathe it and will put every obstacle in our way,” he said.
“They want us to be distracted but we have a lot of work to put in [ahead of local government reorganisation] as we are not already a unitary council like Plymouth.
“We have got to go from a standing start and it will use a lot of resource, and the minister’s letter talks about capacity and that’s what I intend to address.”
Exeter City Council will hold its meeting on the issue on Tuesday (13 January).