Filling a casual vacancy in the office of Community Councillor

If a vacancy arises on the Community Council, due to an existing Councillor's resignation, disqualification or death, there is a process to fill the vacancy.

Process to fill a vacancy

The Clerk will contact the Electoral Services team at RMBC and notify them of the vacancy.

A notice will be placed in the noticeboard for 14 working days, telling residents about the vacancy.

An election will be called if ten residents, who are registered to vote in the area where the vacancy has arisen, write to the Returning Officer at Rotherham Council (who is Sharon Kemp the Chief Executive of RMBC) asking that an election be held.

A standalone by-election would cost approximately £6,000 this would include poll cards (if the Community Council chooses to send them), postal votes, postage costs, the Retuning Officers fee and administration, polling station costs, ballot books, polling staff, postal vote staff, count staff. However, an uncontested by-election would in comparison cost approximately £250. This money would be paid in both instances by the WCC, and raised through the precept in the following financial year.

What happens if an election is not called?

The Community Council is notified by RMBC that an election has not been called and that the vacancy may be filled by co-option or, if vacancies remain after a recent election, the following procedure will apply:

The Community Council will post a notice on its notice boards advertising the vacancies. The notice will also include the closing date for all expressions of interest to be received.

When the applications have been received, the Clerk will consider the application letter(s). If the applicant is not disqualified they may be co-opted on to the Community Council.

Eligibility for office

To qualify for election as a Community Councillor, and to hold this position, an applicant must be:

• A British, Irish or qualifying Commonwealth citizen, or a citizen of any other member state of the European Union and on the relevant day (the day of nomination or election) have reached 18 years of age or over. They must also meet at least one of these four qualifications:
• on the relevant day and thereafter they continue to be on the electoral register for the warded area
• during the whole of the twelve months before that day, they have owned or tenanted land or premises in the warded area
• during the whole of the twelve months before that day their principal or only place of work has been in the warded area
• during the whole of the twelve months before that day, they have lived in the warded area or within 4.8km (3 miles) of the boundary

Notice of vacancy

You can find our current vacancies via our news feed.

Disqualification

An applicant may be disqualified from standing (or being co-opted), if they are a paid officer or employee of that community council, have had bankruptcy restriction orders made against them or they have a previous criminal conviction with a prison sentence of three months or more.

If you are in any doubt whether you would be able to stand for election or co-option, visit the Electoral Commission website for more information.