Conservatives 13 councils led by Tories want election delay

The Conservatives have been accused of "bottling" the local elections after 13 Tory-led county councils said they were asking for a delay to May's polls to allow them to take part in a structural shake-up.

- Rowena Mason Whitehall editor

The Tory councils have said they will ask to be part of the government's priority devolution programme, which means they can ask to put off county elections for a year. A Liberal Democrat-led council has also asked to take part while raising "significant concerns" about the implications of delaying elections.

The government said 11 councils had formally submitted their bids to be part of the programme before yesterday's deadline, with many of the local authorities making their final decisions late on Thursday.

Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, had before Christmas suggested the programme was about Labour trying to avoid elections. He had tweeted: "Elections should only be postponed in truly exceptional circumstances... Maybe Labour don't want to face the electorate?"