Nocton Parish Council - vacancy

Councillor Morris retires

You might like to know there is a vacancy on Nocton Parish Council following the retirement of Councillor Trevor Morris after many years of excellent service to our village.
Trevor - your work for the public good has been much appreciated - thank you.

What is a Parish Councillor?

• Parish Councillors are volunteers who give up their time to try and make the Parish a better place to live and work.
• Councillors have a range of powers and duties over local facilities and make decisions which affect your everyday life.
• Councillors are not paid and have to abide by a local government code of conduct and declare a personal or prejudicial interest if they have an interest in any matter under discussion at a parish council meeting.
• All members of Parish Councils have to stand down every four years and put themselves up for re-election if they want to continue in office. If the Councillor was elected mid-term, they will only serve for the remaining period of the four year term.
• In order to become a candidate at a Parish Council election you must be sure you are eligible to stand, and then submit a set of nomination papers.
• If insufficient candidates stand for election, the Parish Council can try to fill any remaining seats by a process of co-option.

Formal Notice

A notice of the vacancy has been posted on the Village Hall noticeboard as follows:

Parish of Nocton

Notice of Vacancy in the Office of Parish Councillor

Notice is Hereby Given pursuant to Section 87(2) of the Local Government Act 1972 and Rule 8(1) of the Local Elections/Parishes and Communities Rules 1986 that:

TREVOR J MORRIS

has ceased to be a member of the above Parish Council and that a casual vacancy exists in the office of Councillor for the said Parish.

On receipt of a request in writing from any ten local government electors for the said Parish, an election to fill the vacancy will be held within sixty days. If no such request is made the vacancy will be filled through co-option by the Parish Council. Requests for such an election should be addressed to The Returning Officer, North Kesteven District Council, Kesteven Street, Sleaford, Lincs, NG34 7EF to arrive no later than fourteen days from the date of this notice (computed in accordance with Rule 2 of Schedule 2 of the Local Elections (Parishes and Communities) Rules 1986.

Dated: 24th May 2010

Signed: (Clerk to the Council, the Proper Officer for this purpose)

Name: Mrs D Green

Address: 1 Potterhanworth Rd, Nocton, Lincoln, LN4 2BP

What is a 'Casual Vacancy'?

• A casual vacancy occurs when a Parish Councillor either retires or is disqualified from office, before the expiry of his or her term of office.
• The Parish Clerk on behalf of the Council declares there is a vacancy by displaying notices within the parish.
• If within 14 days of the date of the Notice of Vacancy, 10 electors of the parish request the Returning Officer to hold an election, an election must be held.
• If electors do not make a request, the Parish Council will fill the vacancy by co-option (i.e. existing members appoint a candidate without an election). This must be done within 60 days of the Notice of Vacancy.
• It should be noted however, that if the vacancy occurs 6 months before the next ordinary election of the Parish Council, the Parish Council may co-opt and an election need not be held.
• Once a valid request for an election is received by the Returning Officer, an election has to be held within 60 days of the date of the Parish Clerk's original notice.
• The first notice to be given by the Returning Officer is the Notice of Election. This informs that there is a vacancy on the Parish Council and that nominations on the proper form should be sent to the Returning Officer by a certain date. It also gives a date for the Poll in the event that the election is contested.
• North Kesteven District Council will issue the nomination papers to be completed and returned and then the election can take place following any hustings.
• If the Returning Officer receives more nominations than the number of vacancies a Poll will be held, otherwise all nominees are elected without contest.

There will be a Poll Notice advising residents of the potential candidates which will probably look something like this:

Notice of Poll

North Kesteven

Election of a Parish Councillor for

Nocton

Notice is hereby given that: A poll for the election of a Parish Councillor for Nocton will be held on xx xx xx, between the hours of x:xx am and xx:xx pm.

The number of Parish Councillors to be elected is one.

The names, home addresses and descriptions of the Candidates remaining validly nominated for election and the names of all persons signing the Candidates nomination paper are as follows:

Name of Candidate / Home Address/Description (if any) / Names of Signatories Proposers(+), Seconders(++) & Assentors
 

In Conclusion

Remember, who sits on the Parish Council can make a difference to your village by making decisions that affect your everyday life. If you have an interest in who you would like to be your next Parish Councillor, keep a close eye on the Village Hall noticeboard for your prospective candidate.