Cheshire and Warrington
English combined authority; Devolution Priority Programme area, mayoral election postponed to May 2027.
Last refreshed: 10 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why is the Cheshire and Warrington mayoral election delayed by a year?
Latest on Cheshire and Warrington
- When is the Cheshire and Warrington mayoral election?
- The inaugural mayoral election was postponed from 7 May 2026 to May 2027 by MHCLG on 16 February 2026.
- What councils are in the Cheshire and Warrington combined authority?
- Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, and Warrington unitary authorities.
Background
Cheshire and Warrington is a Devolution Priority Programme combined-authority area in North West England covering Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, and Warrington unitary authorities. The area was designated for a new directly-elected regional mayor under the Labour government's May 2025 devolution plans.
The inaugural Cheshire and Warrington mayoral election was originally scheduled for 7 May 2026 but was postponed by MHCLG to May 2027 on 16 February 2026, alongside five other Devolution Priority Programme mayoral elections. The one-year delay allows time for the statutory consultation on the combined-authority structure to conclude. Voters in the area still hold principal-authority council elections on 7 May 2026.
For the area's council voters on 7 May the postponement creates an odd gap: they elect local councillors under a two-tier structure they know will eventually be superseded by the mayoral combined authority, but with no date confirmed for that transition. The 2027 mayoral vote, when it arrives, will be the first regional democratic choice for an area whose political instincts are mixed — Labour-leaning Warrington alongside Conservative-leaning rural Cheshire.