Norfolk County Council has asked the government to postpone its local elections this year, in the first step towards a major shake-up of local authorities. Councillors voted in favour of working with Westminster on a plan which would see the smaller councils scrapped and a mayor overseeing Norfolk and Suffolk.

Sue Maki has been elected president of the Hamilton County Council, replacing Amy Massillamany, and will serve alongside co-Vice Presidents Brad Beaver and Steve Nation.

Gloucestershire County Council's cabinet met on Thursday afternoon to discuss the prospect of delaying the election until 2026 following the Government's plans to abolish district councils. The Conservatives have been in power at the county council for two decades,

At least 12 out of 21 county councils due to hold elections in May are poised to ask ministers to delay the ballots to explore options set out in a major redesign of local government announced in December.

The meeting, which took place on Thursday afternoon, discussed the plans and went in favour of the government's Devolution White Paper. The government announced in December it would would like to reorganise how local government works and do away with district and county councils in favour of unitary authorities,