Section 48 and Schedule 18: Powers to act for the protection of public health: Northern Ireland Section 60: Postponement of elections due to be held on 7 May 2020
This section postpones a series of scheduled elections due to take place on 7th May 2020 by a year - until ‘the ordinary day of election’ in 2021, which is Thursday 6th May. The polls covered by this section are:
Polls for the election of councillors for any local government area in England;
The poll for the election of the Mayor of London and London Assembly;
Polls for the election of mayors of local or combined authorities; and
Polls for the election of Police and Crime Commissioners.
	This section extends the term of office for local government councillors who were due to retire after the scheduled elections in 2020 until after the postponed election in 2021. This section then reduces the term of office for councillors returned at the postponed election in 2021 to three years, with a retirement date after the election in 2024. This is to ensure that their term aligns with the local government existing election cycle of electing by thirds and for two tier authorities. Maintaining the previous electoral rhythm provides for an election in each year in many two-tier areas, with clarity in each year over the proportion of local government being elected.
	This section provides for an exclusion from provisions in the Local Government Act 1972 that determine how councillors are selected for retirement (for example, those who have been councillors for the longest period since re-election). This section states that where a councillor has had their term extended until after the postponed election in 2021, these provisions should not apply.
	This section ensures that the subsequent term for 7th May 2020 elections for the Mayor of London/London Assembly, elected mayors of Local Authorities, elected mayors of combined authorities and Police and Crime Commissioners will be three years. This is to maintain the existing elections cycle, as above, and to ensure that the future cycle does not conflict with borough elections in London.
	The territorial extent and application of this section is England and Wales only.