Divisional Court
High Court configuration; hears judicial review cases with two or more judges.
Last refreshed: 10 April 2026
What would the Divisional Court have ruled on the election postponement?
Latest on Divisional Court
- What is the Divisional Court in the UK?
- A High Court configuration where two or more judges sit together to hear judicial reviews and statutory appeals.
- Did Reform UK take the government to the Divisional Court over local election postponements?
- Yes. A hearing was scheduled for 19-20 February 2026 to hear Reform's challenge to the 30-election postponement; the government withdrew the policy on 16 February, two days before the hearing.
Background
The Divisional Court is a configuration of the High Court of Justice (King's Bench Division) in which two or more judges sit together to hear cases, most commonly judicial-review applications and statutory appeals. It is not a separate court but a procedural arrangement of the High Court, used for cases that would benefit from the deliberation of multiple senior judges.
The Divisional Court was scheduled to hear Reform UK's legal challenge to the government's postponement of 30 English local elections on 19-20 February 2026. The government withdrew the postponement policy on 16 February 2026 — two days before the hearing — citing updated legal advice. The government agreed to cover Reform UK's legal costs, reported at approximately £100,000. The Divisional Court's expected judgment would have ruled on whether second-year election postponement under the Local Government Act 1972 framework was lawful.
The episode matters for democratic accountability beyond a single legal skirmish: the government's withdrawal before judgment means there is no authoritative ruling on whether the postponement was lawful. That gap leaves the question open for any future administration that might seek to delay elections under Local Government Reorganisation, setting a permissive precedent by omission.