Cheltenham’s 2026 local elections postponed following government approval
Cheltenham Borough Council is one of 29 councils not holding elections in May
Last updated 22nd Jan 2026
Cheltenham’s local elections have been postponed after a request from the borough council was approved by the government.
Cheltenham Borough Council is one of 29 councils not holding elections in May.
The Council said another vote this year was unnecessary as all 40 councillors were elected in 2024 after ward boundary changes.
The move has been welcomed by Councillor Rowena Hay, leader of Cheltenham Borough Council.
She said:
"The decision to postpone Cheltenham’s election to next year is the right one.
"Due to ward boundary changes, all 40 of our councillors were elected in 2024, so we are only two years into a four-year term.
"Because of our recent election, this was never about stopping democracy or an attempt to extend our term beyond four years like other councils.
"For Cheltenham, this is about common sense.
"Elections are incredibly resource-intensive, and it does not seem responsible, in my view, to conduct an election when those elected are lame-ducks from day one and will not serve any more than 12 months before their mandate gets removed.
"We can now focus on the transitional arrangements brought about by government’s agenda for local reorganisation across the county and prioritising residents and the services they rightly expect."
Although the local elections in Cheltenham have been postponed, parish elections in the borough will proceed as scheduled this May where contested.