Is it compulsory to replace an elected vice-chair after a resignation?

Question

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The vice-chair of our very polarised council has resigned with one more regular council meeting scheduled before the annual council meeting (when there will be fresh elections for chair and vice-chair of course). There is also a need for someone to chair the annual parish meeting (usually the council chair’s job), which is also before the ACM. Our chair has been permanently unavailable in recent months (without resigning) and IMO a new vice-chair is needed – even for just a few weeks - to take on the chair’s functions. Is there a statutory regulation requiring a new vice-chair to be elected at the next council meeting? I feel sure there should be but I cannot find one.

Answer 1

There is no statutory requirement to have a Vice Chair, but it could be argued that if your Council has created the position of VC and your VC has resigned, they should be replaced. If you expect your Chair to be unavailable for the forthcoming meetings, I would elect a new VC, hopefully someone with sufficient support to continue in the role after the Annual Meeting.

As an aside, has your Chair given apologies for each meeting and have those apologies been accepted and minuted by the Council? If not, the six-month rule under Section 85 may come into play.