Labour councillors have been warned they will cause voters to "lose faith in democracy" after they agreed to seek a delay to this year's elections.
The controlling Labour group at Norwich City Council voted to ask ministers to suspend the scheduled ballot in May, at a meeting at City Hall on Wednesday night.
The move was met with fierce criticism, with Lucy Galvin, who leads the authority's Green group, warning it was "not a good look".
Other members of the group called the decision "politically motivated", with Labour plummeting the opinion polls.
James Wright, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, warned it could lead to a "domino effect" that would prompt ministers to also postpone county council elections for a second consecutive year.
Mike Stonard, the council leader, claimed that a delay would permit a smoother path to local government reorganisation which is due to see Norwich and other Norfolk councils abolished and replaced by one of more unitary councils by 2027.
He said it would also save at least £250,000 for the cost of the election and avoid council work stalling during the pre-election period.
He denied accusations he was "running scared" from the voters and pointed to a precedent being set by other councils going through local government reform, which have delayed elections previously.
"The tsunami of change is about to hit, ready or not", he said, warning a huge amount of work will be required once the government announces how Norfolk will be split into new councils.
In a series of 'urgent questions', Green Party members questioned whether these were valid reasons for the delay, arguing it would risk the public losing faith in the democratic system.
But Mr Stonard insisted there was precedent for elections being delayed and said there would be an "undefendable cost" to allowing them to go ahead.
Ms Galvin remained unconvinced, questioning how councillors can act "legitimately" in their role, having overstayed the length of their four-year term and whether the "cost of public confidence" had been calculated.
She added that other councils in the country have continued with elections despite going through a reorganisation, saying there was "not enough evidence" presented to justify the delay.
"This is about doing our best for democracy, a precious thing which is currently under attack," she said.
But despite the backlash from political opponents, the Labour cabinet agreed to make a submission to ministers on Thursday, urging them to delay the polls.
The secretary of state will then decide whether or not to delay the vote this May at a later date.
Leader of Tory-run Norfolk County Council, Kay Mason Billig, has signalled she would not seek a delay from the government.
Suffolk County Council has warned ministers of capacity issues if they go ahead but said the decision ultimately lies with the government.
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