Could the row over elections derail local authority reform?

The government's decision to reinstate council electionsin Norfolk, Suffolk and parts of Essex has been welcomed by local politicians. Yet some council leaders have expressed anger that the U-turn could jeopardise local government reorganisation (LGR).

Kay Mason Billig, the Conservative leader of Norfolk County Council, declared that "devolution and LGR are off, 10 years of work is potentially down the pan because of this government".

While Gavin Callaghan, the Labour leader of Basildon Council, said: "There is no doubt that LGR in Essex is over."

The proposed changes to local councils would give politicians extra money and powers and lead to fewer authorities, but could this all be about to be derailed?

The planned changes involve devolution and LGR. As part of the devolution deal, Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex will have directly elected mayors.

They will oversee bodies and policies such as the police and fire service and transport and economic growth in the area.

The mayors will be given money by the government and make decisions on how best to spend it.

The plan has been welcomed by supporters, who said it put local people in charge of making decisions for the area rather the Whitehall.

The proposed LGR reforms would replace the two-tier system of district and county councils that exists in many parts of England with new unitary authorities responsible for delivering all council services in their area.

In Norfolk and Suffolk county, district and borough councils will be abolished and replaced by up to three authorities and in Essex they will be replaced by between three and as many as five unitary authorities.

Mayoral elections were due to take place this May, with the new mayor taking up the role in 2027.

However, in December the government postponed the mayoral vote until 2028 so that the mayors and the new councils start at the same time.

Elections for the new unitary councils were going to happen in 2027, with the new authorities taking charge in 2028.

After postponing last year's county council elections, ministers decided last month to also cancel this year's elections. The government said it was in an effort to save money as the elected councillors would only serve a two-year term before the new authorities took over.

However, later the government decided to U-turn and allow the elections to go ahead after a legal challenge from Reform UK.

Yes, the council elections could hold up devolution as councillors will have to give up their jobs and fight an election and staff could be asked to prioritise the organisation of the elections.

As the mayoral elections have been postponed, the government needs to draw up another statutory instrument to set in law the revised timetable and powers for the mayors. This will need to be approved by local councils, however there is no time to do it before the authorities are dissolved for the elections.

So elections and the new legislation will hold up devolution for at least three months.

The delay has thrown up other challenges. The fire service, for example, is due to be run by mayoral offices from next year. However, if the role is not being elected until 2028, which of the new unitary authorities will oversee it instead?

"We thought we had this all sorted last September," says Kay Mason Billig from Norfolk County Council.

"We had approved the last statutory instrument and everything would have been fine if they hadn't changed the mayoral elections," she adds.

It is unlikely devolution will be dropped by the government as all the political parties like the idea of having more local powers and decision-making abilities.

"Power to the people away from Whitehall can only be a good thing," says Jaymey McIvor, Reform UK's only councillor on Essex County Council.

Steve Morphew, the Labour group leader on Norfolk County Council, says: "It's incumbent on us to get the best out of devolution because the prize is really worth going through the pain for."

Yet whichever party runs the councils after the elections may try to renegotiate some of the terms of the devolution deal.

The Green Party has concerns about how much power is being invested in one person.

"If we take control of Suffolk we will be asking for an urgent meeting with the government," says Andrew Stringer, a Green Party councillor and leader of the opposition group on Suffolk County Council.

Matthew Hicks, the Conservative leader of Suffolk County Council, says that when the mayoral elections were delayed "the government reduced the amount of funding received by Suffolk and Norfolk".

"It is our view that if the mayoralty is to proceed, this funding level should be revisited," he adds.

The timetable for LGR will also be delayed while councils focus on elections.

Norfolk and Suffolk have already "paused" their work, saying it is only right that the new administrations decide the next steps.

A new administration, however, may not want to continue with LGR. Concerns have been raised about the cost and disruption of redesigning new authorities while others question if a unitary model is suitable for rural areas.

There is some bad feeling towards the government over the way it has treated councils. It was reported that Norfolk County Council was only given five minutes notice before the announcement that elections were to be reinstated.

"Having these elections on and off and on again has left us wondering if we can trust [the government]," says Mason Billig.

"Many of my colleagues are fed up to the back teeth with this and would rather not do LGR," she adds.

McIvor, from Reform UK, says he also has concerns over how the government has run things.

The Green Party says it will be unhappy if fewer than three unitaries are created in each county.

Many Conservative councillors have told the BBC that they will not be pleased if their suggestion of one giant unitary for both Norfolk and Suffolk is rejected.

All these concerns could be enough to derail LGR.

Yet there are still supporters of LGR, such as Labour's Morphew, who says: "The existing framework of councils is more than 50 years old, we need a new generation of councils to deliver for local people."

Brian Watkins, the Liberal Democrat leader on Norfolk County Council, says: "I think when the dust settles we will have to continue with this process. Of course it's very frustrating but we have to work as cooperatively with the government as we can."

Kevin Bentley, the Conservative leader of Essex County Council, says: "I think it is only over if we let it be. The current system does not give the best value for taxpayers. If the government is still up for it then I am."

The government could make LGR happen with or without the cooperation of councils. But it will be much easier if both sides trust each other and are prepared to work together, which could be the biggest challenge.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "We want to work with local councils to deliver our ambition to simplify local government and end inefficient two-tier structures."

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