Conservatives and Lib Dems criticise delays, which are in areas under reorganisation to introduce elected mayors

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Local elections in nine councils across England are to be postponed for a year as part of devolution measures which will see local government in the areas reorganised, Angela Rayner has announced.

The communities secretary, who is also the deputy prime minister, said her department had agreed to delay elections in half the areas that were seeking to introduce elected mayors, telling the Commons it would be pointless to have “elections to bodies that won’t exist”.