Chelmsford ready to help with county elections if they go ahead

Chelmsford City Council has written to the Government to support this year’s Essex County Council elections going ahead as scheduled.

In a letter to Alison McGovern MP, Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness, the council’s leader Councillor Stephen Robinson said, “I am writing to set out our clear view that these elections should proceed as planned.”

Chelmsford City Council does not have any elections in 2026, as it elects all its councillors every four years and its last election was in 2023. However, it is responsible for administration of the Essex County Council elections within the Chelmsford district. That means it sends out poll cards, sets up a count hall, hires counting staff, runs polling stations and publishes the results, amongst other duties.

County Council elections were originally scheduled for Thursday 1 May 2025 but were postponed by the Government due to local government reorganisation. This reorganisation is due to complete in Essex in April 2028.

The Government has written to councils going through reorganisation to gauge views about whether these local authorities have the capacity to deliver elections on top of ‘a smooth and safe transition to new councils’.

Cllr Robinson has written to the Minister to confirm that Chelmsford is “confident that we retain the necessary operational capacity to deliver safe and well-run elections alongside this ongoing work.”

The letter urges the Government, “to ensure 100 per cent clarity on this subject before the end of this month, as election preparations (such as hall bookings) are already underway.”

If the elections go ahead, they will take place on Thursday 7 May.