Removing the whole Town Council as a whole

Question

Our Town Council recently had an election for a new councillor.

3 people stood. The council are renown for co-opting via a buddy system. The man who won is one of the buddies.

However, he won the by Postal Vote. The Town-Council made a choice  to not send out voting cards. The town wasn't told this. There are almost 8000 people  here but only 60 voted at a booth. 350 postal votes were sent in. The man who won got the majority if the postal votes. He was proposed by a relative of a councillor and no one knew anything about him.

How can a No Confidence vote be made against a whole council? By the way none of them are elected. They all got in by default at the last election

Answer 1

You will have an opportunity to remove the whole council at the next scheduled election by finding other members of your community who wish to take on the role. It appears from what you have written that there is a shortage of willing volunteers. If there are insufficient candidates to fill all of the vacancies, those who are properly nominated are elected, but without the need for a public vote. It appears that the process used for the recent election was in accordance with the legal requirements and the elections officer of your principal council would not have allowed it to proceed otherwise.

At some point between now and the end of May, your council should call an Assembly, Annual Parish Meeting, Meeting of Electors or some other title. At this meeting you may propose a vote of no confidence in the council. It has no legal status whatsoever, even if all 8000 residents attend and vote against the council. The councillors may choose to fall on their swords, although I've never heard of this happening, or they may just carry on with business as usual.

Answer 2

I am not sure what you are saying here. Firstly, if it was an election with 3 candidates then the principal council (district/borough) or whoever provides your electoral services for you, must have sent out ballot papers. Secondly, there is no difference between a postal vote or a box vote made in person - so this is irrelevant. A relative of the candidate let alone a relative of someone else, provided they are a resident, can propose who ever they like - again irrelevant. Thirdly, some voters quite often vote for people they know nothing about, it is one of the features, wise or not, of a democratic system. Fourthly, if you stand uncontested in an election you are "duly elected" automatically. Fifthly, do as DTC suggests or, better still, stand yourself at the next opportunity.