When can 10 parishioners call an election?

Question

If there is a vacancy on a Parish Council which has decided not to fill the vacancy, can 10 parishioners call an election?

Answer 1

When a councillor resigns, the parish clerk has to notify the monitoring officer of their resignation.  A legal notice is then sent to the clerk which has to be published on the noticeboards, website etc.  This notice give the 14 day opportunity for 10 electors to write in and call for an election.  If requests are received after this time, they are not counted.

If the parish council 'decides' not to fill the vacancy, the monitoring office can insist that they do - there is an obligation on the parish council to keep the numbers up...

Answer 2

Once the vacancy occurs there are 14 day's for someone to get 10 signatures to call an election. If they don't call an election then, they cannot call for one later (in place of co-option).