Kemi Badenoch has formally challenged the decision to delay local elections scheduled for May, while her shadow business secretary criticized the move as “entirely wrong.”

Kevin Hollinrake, who supported the Conservative leader’s motion, argued that there had been “no effort to build consensus” in the areas where elections were being postponed.

Earlier this week, Local Government Minister Jim McMahon issued an order to defer elections in nine council areas—covering East Sussex, West Sussex, Essex and Thurrock, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Norfolk, Suffolk, and Surrey.

Elections originally set for May 1 in these areas would instead take place next year, following a local government reorganization.

In response, Badenoch submitted an early day motion urging the order to be overturned, with initial backing from five Conservative MPs, including Hollinrake.

The Government could now allocate time for the motion to be debated in committee or in the House of Commons, allowing MPs to vote on whether to keep the elections as scheduled.

Speaking to PA news agency, Hollinrake criticized the Labour Government for rushing the decision without consulting local residents.

“This has been imposed without any effort to build agreement within two-tier areas,” he said. “Council leaders are being pressured into accepting it, and these elections aren’t simply being postponed—they’re being canceled.”

He also raised concerns about the lengthy transition period before new councils are established, leaving some councillors serving for up to seven years.

The Government’s plan involves replacing the existing two-tier system—where voters elect both county and district councils—with smaller unitary councils, each serving approximately 500,000 people.

This change would impact Badenoch’s North West Essex constituency, where Essex County Council and the Chelmsford and Uttlesford district councils are set to be dissolved.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner defended the delay, arguing that elections should not be held for councils that are soon to be abolished.

“We are not in the business of holding elections for bodies that will no longer exist, especially when we don’t yet know what will replace them,” Rayner told the Commons. “This would be an unnecessary and irresponsible use of taxpayers’ money, and those calling for elections to proceed must justify this wasteful spending.”

Ms Rayner said she had only signed off on cancellations in half of the areas requesting a reorganisation.

“The Government’s starting point is for all elections to go ahead unless there’s a strong justification for postponement, and the bar is high, and rightly so,” she said.