The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026. The Act reintroduces the supplementary vote system for Mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner elections. On 21 May the Minister for Building Safety, Fire and Democracy laid secondary legislation in Parliament to implement this provision for Combined Authority Mayor and Combined County Authority Mayoral elections. The Government’s intention, subject to the approval of Parliament, is for the secondary legislation to be in force at the earliest opportunity and the provisions will apply for any mayoral by-elections held after that date. Secondary legislation for local authority mayoral, Mayor of London and police and crime commissioner elections will be laid at a future date. We are currently updating our guidance to reflect these changes and will be publishing these to our usual publication timeframes. Where a mayoral by-election is called, we will work directly with Returning Officers, to ensure they have the guidance and support they need.
If you have any concerns or queries, please do not hesitate to contact your local regional team.
May 2026 polls: Partnerships Survey
As part of our assessment of the 7 May local elections, we would really value your feedback on our resources for local authorities and civil society partners.
Your responses will help us ensure we are providing the support you need to assist your voter engagement work.
To share your views, please complete our online partner survey.
Alternatively, you can download the survey in Word format and send it by email to [email protected], or by post to:
Research Team, Electoral Commission, 3 Bunhill Row, London EC1Y 8YZ
The deadline to complete the survey is Friday 12 June. Thanks in advance for your feedback, which will help us.