Bristol City Council is the local authority for Bristol, a unitary authority and ceremonial county in England. Until 1 April 1996 it was a non-metropolitan district in Avon. Since 2012 it has also had a directly elected mayor. Because of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, elections for the Mayor of Bristol, Bristol City Council councillors, and the Avon and Somerset Police and Crime Commissioner have been delayed from 2020 to May 2021, with current post holders terms extended by a year and the following terms shortened by a year.