Gloucestershire 2027 elections cancelled

Elections for three councils in Gloucestershire, scheduled to take place in May 2027, have been cancelled ahead of the abolition of the county's seven existing authorities.

Planned votes for Forest of Dean and Cotswold District councils, and Tewkesbury Borough Council will not go ahead.

Instead, shadow elections for Gloucestershire's new 'super' council will be held.

Councillors already sitting on the three authorities will have their terms extended by a year before the bodies are disbanded.

The Forest of Dean, Cotswolds and Tewkesbury councils have historically held elections every four years.

Some 110 councillor roles were due to be contested across the three authorities in May.

However, as Gloucestershire's seven county and district councils will be replaced by a single 'super' authority in two years' time, the government has agreed to cancel the votes.

The returning officer for Tewkesbury Borough Council, Alistair Cunningham, said the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government had written to the three councils.

"The Secretary of State's letter, which sets out the outcome of Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) in Gloucestershire, states that elections to the new unitary council will take place in May 2027, replacing any scheduled local elections," he added.

A set of elections will still take place across Gloucestershire in May, linked to the creation of the new authority.

Called Gloucestershire Council, it will launch in April 2028 and take over the running of all local government services, including bin collection, roadworks, planning and adult and children's social care among others.

Next year's vote will elect what's known as a 'shadow authority' of councillors who will work for a year to help set up the processes and portfolios of Gloucestershire Council before it takes over.

A second set of elections will then be held in 2028 to vote in councillors who will serve a full term of office.

Eligible residents across Gloucestershire will be able to cast ballots in both elections.

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