James MacCleary MP slams decision to cancel local elections

James MacCleary MP has condemned the decision to cancel this May’s local elections in East Sussex, calling it an attack on democracy that denies local residents their voice at a crucial time for the county. The Labour government have delayed elections for one year for elections for a unitary authority in 2026 after a request to delay from East Sussex Conservatives.

The Conservative-led East Sussex County Council, backed by Labour ministers, has succeeded in blocking these elections, preventing voters from holding them accountable for years of failure. Since 2021, the Liberal Democrats have been making gains from the Conservatives across East Sussex, and at the most recent General Election, the Liberal Democrats made significant progress, electing 5 MPs and proving that residents are ready for change.

Liberal Democrats have pledged to continue fighting for local communities and holding the failing Conservative administration to account.

James asked Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner after the announcement of the cancellations: “What justification she (Rayner) has for giving a mandate to a Conservative administration that has lost its overall majority and hangs on by the chair casting vote, to negotiate a generationally defining deal on behalf of residents of East Sussex against their will?”

James said: “This is nothing short of a disgrace. The Conservatives are running scared and have pushed for this election cancellation in a desperate attempt to cling to power. Meanwhile, Labour has stood by and let them get away with it, knowing they have no chance of winning here.

“Voters are rightly fed up with this Conservative council’s appalling record—financial mismanagement, crumbling roads, axed frontline services, and neglect of vulnerable residents. They know they were on track to lose seats in May, so instead of facing the voters, they have silenced them. 

“These elections should have been a chance for local people to demand better and decide on the future of how their areas are shaped under reorganisation, but instead, the Conservatives and Labour have shut them out of the process. This is an insult to democracy.”

“The Liberal Democrats will not stop standing up for our residents. We will keep campaigning, listening to local people, and fighting for the fair deal our communities so desperately need. 

The Conservatives might have cancelled this election, but they cannot escape the judgement of voters forever.”