There Are No Local Elections in Sefton This Year - Here’s why…

Many residents have been asking why they haven’t received polling cards or seen any signs of local elections this May. The reason is simple: there are no scheduled elections taking place in Sefton in 2025.

This is because 2025 is what’s known as a “fallow year” in the election cycle for Metropolitan Councils like Sefton. A fallow year is built into the local government election schedule and occurs once every four years, allowing for a break in the cycle of regular elections.

What is a fallow year?

In many local councils across the country, elections don’t happen every year. Some councils elect:

• All councillors once every 4 years

• Half of the councillors every 2 years

• One third of councillors each year for 3 years, followed by a 4th year with no elections — the fallow year

Sefton operates on this third model — which means every fourth year, there are no local elections.

What does the local election schedule look like?

Here’s a summary of the known local election cycle for Sefton over the next few years:

• 2025 – Fallow year (no local elections in Sefton)

• 2026 – Local elections

• 2027 – Local and Parish elections

• 2028 – Local, Police & Crime Commissioner, and Liverpool City Region Mayor elections

• 2029 – Fallow year (also the latest point a UK General Election could be called)

The next scheduled election in Sefton will take place on Thursday 7th May 2026.

So if you’re wondering why there are no polling cards, voting booths, or ballots this year, it’s simply part of the planned election cycle — not a mistake or omission.

In the meantime, Sefton Council continues its work as usual, and we’ll keep you updated as we approach the next election year.