Devon County Council leader Julian Brazil has accused the Government of using “Putin school of politics” tactics after plans were announced to delay local elections scheduled for May 2026.

More than 60 councils across England involved in local government reorganisation (LGR) have been invited to give their views on whether elections due next year should be postponed.

Exeter City Council and Plymouth City Council are among those written to by the Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness, Alison McGovern MP.

In the letter, the Minister said the Government was seeking views on whether the elections should go ahead because of concerns about “capacity to deliver a smooth and safe transition to new councils, alongside running resource-intensive elections to councils that may be shortly abolished”.

Any postponement would see the elections delayed until 2027.

The proposals have drawn strong criticism from Cllr Brazil, who warned that delaying the vote would undermine democracy.

He said: “To mess with democracy and cancel the opportunity for people to have their say or vent their frustration is an incredibly dangerous thing to do.

“It’s this kind of double-dealing and dishonesty that frustrates people. It’s right out of the Putin school of politics.

“We won’t know what LGR will look like before the elections in May. Any postponement of the elections could create a pool of people with no mandate other than one that has already run out.

“We all know what they’re doing. Government Ministers are putting political self-interest first, rather than democracy.

“The Prime Minister is trying to save his political life. He talks about putting the country first, but you can see it for what it is, a complete load of tosh. Everything else is smoke and mirrors.”

Local councils due to hold elections in May 2026 have until January 15 to respond to the Government on the proposals.