Elections for the island’s two municipalities have been postponed for a year, it was announced last night.

Wayne Furbert, the acting Minister of Public Works, met representatives of the Corporations of Hamilton and St George yesterday to confirm the decision.

City Hall has mounted a court challenge to the Municipalities Reform Act, which was designed to turn the corporations into unelected quangos.

On Monday Charles Gosling, the mayor of Hamilton, said that the elections were scheduled to take place in May of this year.

Referring to the corporation’s audited financial statements, he told The Royal Gazette: “We ensure that when it is an election year, the results are published prior to the election, which they will be this May.

A ministry spokesman said: “Minister Furbert advised the Corporation of St George and Hamilton, Mayors and council members that elections would be deferred for one year to maintain the operational stability of both Corporations pending the determination of the matter now before the Court of Appeal.”

The Bill to postpone the municipal elections is scheduled to be tabled in the House of Assembly on Friday.

Mr Gosling, who said last year that he would not stand at the next election, did not respond to requests for comment last night.