NOTICE OF CASUAL VACANCIES – HAYLE TOWN COUNCIL
Elections for the casual vacancies in the West Ward have not been required to take place and the Town Council can now proceed to fill the vacancies by co-option.
Any eligible person who wishes to be considered for co-option should either email or write to the Town Clerk at the address shown below, providing personal details and stating the reasons they wish to be considered for co-option, by no later than noon on 15 February 2022 Candidates will be invited to attend an interview on the evening of 24 February 2022.
Town Clerk
Hayle Town Council
Hayle Community Centre
58 Queensway
Hayle
TR27 4NX
01736 755005
info@hayletowncouncil.net
There are currently two vacancies for Town Councillors, both in the West Ward. As these vacancies have arisen between the ordinary round of elections (normally every 4 years) they are classed as a Casual Vacancies.
Term of Office
The next round of Ordinary Parish Council Elections is scheduled to take place in May 2025. The successful candidate should expect to serve up to the fourth day after the ordinary day of elections.
Qualifications for Candidature
To be qualified to be elected a member of the Parish Council a person be a British or Commonwealth citizen, citizen of the Republic of Ireland, or European Union citizen, who has attained the age of 18 years of age and is:
- registered as a local government elector for the parish;
- and/or who has during the whole of the twelve months preceding the appointment occupied as owner or tenant any land or other premises in the parish;
- and/or his/her principal or only place of work during that twelve months has been in the parish; and/or
- has during those twelve months resided in the parish or within 4.8 kilometres (3 miles) of it.
Candidates are advised to confirm as many of the relevant qualifications as apply.
There are certain disqualifications for election, of which the main (S.80 of the Local Government Act 1972) are:
- holding a paid office under the authority;
- bankruptcy;
- having been sentenced to a term of imprisonment (whether suspended or not) of not less than three months, without the option of a fine during the five years preceding the election; and
- being disqualified under any enactment relating to corrupt or illegal practices.
Co-option of Parish Councillor – Procedure for Council Meeting
Each candidate will be interviewed and after all of the interviews the Councillors will vote to select the preferred councillors.
If there are more applications than candidates for the vacancies and no one of them at the first count receives a majority over the aggregate votes given to the rest, steps will be taken to strike off the candidate with the least number of votes and the remainder will then be put to the vote again; this process will, if necessary, be repeated until an absolute majority is obtained. The Chair may have to exercise his casting vote.
After the vote has been taken, the Chairman will declare the two candidates who received the highest number of votes, duly elected.
Acceptance of Office
A person elected to the office of Town Councillor shall before or at the first meeting of the Town Council after their election or if the Council at the that meeting allows, before or at a later meeting fixed by the Council, make in the presence of a member of the Council or of the proper officer of the Council a declaration of Acceptance of Office. Failure to do so will mean their office will become vacant (local Government Act 1972, Section 83).
What is a Parish or Town Council?
Parish and Town Councils are one and the same. They are statutory bodies and are local authorities in their own right. They have a range of statutory powers and so act within a body of legislation. They are the most local level of government and are sometimes described as the tier of local government most closest to the people.
Such councils can represent the concerns and aspirations of a genuine local community. They are not a voluntary organisation, a charity, nor anything to do with the Church. Town Councils are different in that their Chairman can take on the role of Mayor – a figure head for the town and a focus for civic pride.
Hayle Town Council is considered a larger council and delivers a wide range of services, many of which have been devolved from Cornwall Council, and otherwise may have been lost, such as public conveniences, the library and information service, CCTV and we also run other local facilities, including the Outdoor Swimming Pool, Hayle Community Centre, Hayle Recreation Ground, King George V Memorial Walk, allotments and other open spaces. We also give grants to local community groups
The range of powers of local councils continues to change and grow and are many and varied including:
- the purchase of land and buildings
- providing and maintaining village greens
- provision of recreational facilities
- crime prevention measures including provision of CCTV and traffic calming
- provision of grants to local organisations
Parish and Town Councils are funded through the council tax, although income can be raised through the services they provide or through delegation of funding.
Parish and Town Councils are strictly audited every year. Councillors must adhere to a code of conduct and complete a register of interests. This means that they are fully accountable to the public and assures the community that decisions are always taken in the public interest.