Thank you for supporting this cross-party campaign to defend local democracy. We have now written to Nick Adams-King, Leader of Hampshire County Council, to make clear the strength of feeling among residents that the May 2026 elections should go ahead as scheduled.

We have also received coverage in the Hampshire Chronicle and the Romsey Advertiser in the last week.

We understand that councillors will be meeting tomorrow (12 January) to decide the next steps. Most of those in the chamber at Hampshire County Council have already had their terms extended without a fresh mandate from voters, and we hope they will now take the opportunity to restore public trust by allowing residents to choose their representatives at the ballot box in May.

While the Leader has publicly said he wants the elections to go ahead, that commitment now needs to be put in writing to the Minister, so there can be no scope for buck-passing or finger-pointing between national and local government.

It is also telling that the Electoral Commission which very rarely intervenes in political debates issued a public statement in December expressing serious concern about the prospect of election postponements. This underlines just how unusual and troubling this situation is for a healthy democracy.
https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/media-centre/electoral-commission-responds-potential-election-postponements

Whatever your political views or party allegiance, this campaign is rooted in a simple shared belief: that democracy only works when people are given a regular, reliable chance to vote, to renew or withdraw their consent, and to shape the future of their communities.

Please keep sharing the campaign. Every message, every post, and every conversation helps. The more people who hear about this, the stronger our collective voice becomes, and that really does make a difference.