Vacant Seats on Leighton & Eaton Constantine Parish Council Following Uncontested Election

Section 21(2) of the Representation of the People Act 1985 states that if a parish council is quorate (three or one third of the total number of councillors, whichever is greater), it can commence advertising vacancies for co-option for the vacant seats once the Notice of Uncontested Election has been published (see image). Leighton & Eaton Constantine Parish Council remains quorate following the uncontested election. However, the Parish Council has 7 seats in total, but there were only 5 nominations received. Therefore there are 2 vacant seats that can be co-opted into.

Leighton & Eaton Constantine Parish Council has 35 days from the date of election to fill the vacant seats by co-option (provided the Parish Council is quorate, which it is). Anyone co-opted still needs to be eligible.

Eligibility to beome a parish councillor

A person is eligible to be co-opted if he/she meets the councillor qualification criteria:

• be at least 18 years old
• be a British citizen, an eligible Commonwealth citizen, a citizen of the Republic of Ireland, a qualifying EU citizen or an EU citizen with retained rights
• meet at least one of the following four qualifications:
  • You are, and will continue to be, registered as a local government elector for the parish in which you wish to stand;
  • You have occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises in the parish area during the whole of the previous 12 months;
  • Your main or only place of work during the previous 12 months has been in the parish area;
  • You have lived in the parish area or within three miles of it during the whole of the previous 12 months

Disqualifications from beoming a parish councillor

Apart from meeting the qualifications for standing for election, you must also not be disqualified.

There are certain people who are disqualified from being elected to a parish council in England and Wales.

You cannot be a candidate if:

• You are employed by the parish council or hold a paid office under the parish council (including joint boards or committees).
• You are the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or interim order.
• You have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment of three months or more (including a suspended sentence), without the option of a fine, during the previous five years.
• You have been disqualified under the Representation of the People Act 1983 (which covers corrupt or illegal electoral practices and offences relating to donations).

A person may also be disqualified from election if they have been disqualified from standing for election to a local authority following a decision of the First-tier Tribunal (formerly the Adjudication Panel for England) or the Adjudication Panel for Wales.

Are you looking for a rewarding role serving your local community?

If you have a keen interest in your local area and want to represent the views of your community, why not consider filling one of the vacant seats for a Parish Councillor? No formal qualifications are required, and knowledge of local government is not necessary. The Parish Council meets every two months and meetings last around 2 hours. The post does not take up a large amount of time but the time, and any expertise, you may give will be invaluable to your community in shaping the future.

If you would like to apply to be a councillor on Leighton & Eaton Constantine Parish Council, please email the clerk on [email protected] by Monday 12 May stating why you are interested in the role and confirming that you meet the eligibility criteria (listed above) and are not disqualified (again listed above).