Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)
UK government department overseeing local government reform, housing, and communities
Last refreshed: 10 April 2026
Why did MHCLG pay Reform UK £100,000 in legal costs over the election postponement?
Latest on Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)
- What is MHCLG?
- The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government — the UK Government department responsible for local government, housing, planning and devolution. Secretary of State: Steve Reed.
- Why did MHCLG reverse the local election postponements?
- Steve Reed reversed the policy on 16 February 2026, citing updated legal advice that postponing elections for a second year was not legally sustainable.
- Why did the government pay Reform UK legal costs?
- Reform UK challenged the election postponement in the Divisional Court. After the government reversed the policy, it agreed to pay Reform's legal costs, reported at approximately £100,000.
- What is the Surrey Structural Changes Order 2026?
- Signed by MHCLG on 9 March 2026, it creates East Surrey Council (72 councillors) and West Surrey Council (90 councillors), with vesting day of 1 April 2027.
- Which mayoral elections did MHCLG postpone in 2026?
- Six DPP mayoral elections: Cheshire and Warrington, Cumbria (to 2027), Greater Essex, Hampshire and the Solent, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Sussex and Brighton (to 2028).
Background
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is the UK Government department responsible for local government structure, housing policy, planning, and devolution. Its Secretary of State is Steve Reed MP (since July 2024). In 2026, MHCLG has been at the centre of a politically damaging series of decisions around local election postponements. On 16 February 2026, Reed reversed the department's policy of postponing 30 local elections in Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) areas, citing updated legal advice — having previously planned to delay them. The department then paid Reform UK approximately £100,000 in legal costs after Reform successfully challenged the postponement in the Divisional Court.
MHCLG signed the Surrey (Structural Changes) Order 2026 on 9 March, creating East Surrey and West Surrey councils with vesting day set for April 2027. It also confirmed 6 Devolution Priority Programme mayoral elections postponed: Cheshire and Warrington, Cumbria (to 2027), Greater Essex, Hampshire and the Solent, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Sussex and Brighton (to 2028). The department published a £63m support package for LGR areas running the reinstated elections.
MHCLG's conduct over the 2025-26 postponement cycle has become a test case for how ministers exercise prerogative powers over local democracy. The combination of reversed policy, taxpayer-funded legal costs, and a £63m emergency support package will be a reference point in any future debate about the boundaries of LGR discretion and the constitutional protections available to local elections.