Questions have been raised over whether local elections set to take place in May should be pushed back to the summer or autumn due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

And Cornwall councillors seem to be split on whether polling day should be postponed.

Several elections are due to be held in May including for all seats at Cornwall Council, the Police and Crime Commissioner elections which were postponed last May, and multiple town and parish council elections.

Several areas in Cornwall are also waiting to hold referendums on Neighbourhood Development Plans which have been put on hold due to the pandemic.

Earlier this week local authorities in Manchester called for local elections to be pushed back to the autumn. However the Cabinet Office has said that preparations for elections to be held in May will continue.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked Cornwall Council what it was doing and received this statement: “Cornwall Council is currently preparing for May’s elections, and will continue to do so unless advised otherwise by central government.”

However Cornwall councillors appear split on the issue, with some concerned that the lockdown will mean that candidates are unable to canvass local voters and concerns that people may consider going out to vote as being unsafe.

All said that they expected that postal voting would be the preferred option for more people if the elections do take place in May.

Linda Taylor, Conservative group leader at County Hall, said that she wanted the elections to be held as planned.

She said: “We are absolutely confident from what we are hearing centrally that the elections will go ahead as planned.

“We are working on the elections to be in May. The confidence has to be there with the rollout of the vaccines.

“But we will also be looking to get people on to the postal voting system if required as well.

“And speaking to Cornwall Council we know that preparations are continuing for the elections in May.”

Cllr Taylor said that her party would have 87 candidates ready to contest all seats at County Hall in the elections.

But she added: “We can’t do any campaigning whatsoever. We can do phoning of people, that is the only thing we can do.”

Adam Paynter, leader of the Liberal Democrat group at County Hall, said he thought the elections should be postponed until September.

He said: “My thoughts, and I have not discussed it with others, is that with the latest lockdown it does make it very difficult to campaign and, if Michael Gove is correct, we might not come out of lockdown until Easter which is purdah and less than six weeks to knock on doors.

“School and college exams have been cancelled so I think there could be pressure to postpone the elections. I think a more sensible way forward would be to delay the elections until September. You will remember that elections were delayed during the Foot and Mouth crisis but only for one month in 2001, which was my first election to Cornwall County Council.

“I am sure after elections were postponed last year; government are keen to ensure elections happen as there have not been any by elections so many councils are running with vacancies. The speed of vaccine role out will affect how safe people feel later in the year. I am sure postal votes will be more popular.”

Carolyn Rule, leader of the Independent group, also said that the elections should be put on hold.

She said: “Several of my group members are concerned as now, with the lockdown, we are not able to even make a journey to get our leaflets printed let alone go door knocking to meet our electorate. I have not heard anything officially that the elections will be delayed, but my personal opinion is that they should be.

“I understand that the Local Government Association are canvassing opinion on this matter at the moment, I will be joining that debate in due course.”

Dick Cole, leader of Mebyon Kernow, said that the elections this year were a priority for the party and said that he thought that they could be pushed back later in the year.