Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government written statement – made at on 21 May 2026.
Samantha Dixon
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
When elected mayors were first established by the Local Government Act 2000, they were elected using the Supplementary Vote system. This system, which is suitable for the election of single executive office holders, such as mayors ensures a broader level of support for the person elected.
This voting system for mayoral elections was changed following the Elections Act 2022, which removed the Supplementary Vote system and replaced this with a simple Majority (First Past the Post) system. This Government has always been clear that Supplementary Vote is the more appropriate system for electing mayors.
The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026, which received Royal Assent on 29 April 2026, reintroduces the Supplementary Vote system for Mayoral and Police and Crime Commissioner elections. It was the clear intention of the Government, as stated during parliamentary passage of the Act, that this return to Supplementary Vote would be implemented ahead of any future relevant elections after May 2026. The Government is conscious that there is now a possible scenario in which a Mayoral election may need to be held in Greater Manchester in the coming months, subject to the outcome of the parliamentary By-election in the Makerfield Constituency.
We are therefore taking action to seek parliamentary approval to deliver that change in all scenarios. I have today laid the legislation necessary to support the implementation of these measures for Combined Authority Mayors and Combined County Authority Mayors. The Combined Authorities (Mayoral Elections) (Amendment) Order 2026, which makes the required changes to conduct rules, ballot papers, postal voting statements, and guidance and instructions to voters, will now be considered by Parliament under the affirmative procedure. Relevant changes to the secondary legislation governing conduct of elections for local authority mayors, the Mayor of London and Police and Crime Commissioners will be brought forward as soon as possible later this year.
The Government’s intention, subject to the approval of Parliament, is for the secondary legislation to be in force by 19 June 2026.
We will work with the Electoral Commission and local authorities to support implementation of this change, to ensure all rules are clear and understood, and to support clear communications with electors.
As a bill passes through Parliament, MPs and peers may suggest amendments - or changes - which they believe will improve the quality of the legislation.
Many hundreds of amendments are proposed by members to major bills as they pass through committee stage, report stage and third reading in both Houses of Parliament.
In the end only a handful of amendments will be incorporated into any bill.
The Speaker - or the chairman in the case of standing committees - has the power to select which amendments should be debated.
A by-election occurs when a seat in the House of Commons becomes vacant during the lifetime of a Parliament (i.e. between general elections) because the sitting MP dies, resigns, is elevated to the peerage, or becomes ineligible to sit for some other reason. If a vacancy occurs when the House is in session, the Chief Whip of the Party that formerly held the seat moves a Motion for a new writ. This leads to the by-election taking place. Prior notice does not have to be given in the Order Paper of the House. There is no time limit in which a new writ has to be issued, although by convention it is usually done within three months of a seat becoming vacant. There have been times when seats have remained empty for more than six months before a by-election was called. The sitting party will obviously choose a time when they feel confident of success. Seats are often left vacant towards the end of a Parliament to be filled at the General Election though this is not always the case and by-elections have sometimes occurred just before the dissolution of Parliament. While a vacancy exists a member of the same party in a neighbouring constituency handles constituency matters. When the new Member is elected in the by-election, all outstanding matters are handed back. Further information can be obtained from factsheet M7 at the UK Parliament site.
The term "majority" is used in two ways in Parliament. Firstly a Government cannot operate effectively unless it can command a majority in the House of Commons - a majority means winning more than 50% of the votes in a division. Should a Government fail to hold the confidence of the House, it has to hold a General Election. Secondly the term can also be used in an election, where it refers to the margin which the candidate with the most votes has over the candidate coming second. To win a seat a candidate need only have a majority of 1.
In a general election, each Constituency chooses an MP to represent them. MPs have a responsibility to represnt the views of the Constituency in the House of Commons. There are 650 Constituencies, and thus 650 MPs. A citizen of a Constituency is known as a Constituent
