Rules re cooption

Question

Hi at our last full council meeting we declined to coopt an individual as he was deemed unsuitable, so there is still a vacancy.                   We plan to coopt at our next full council meeting, this same individual has asked to be considered again, he is the only applicant.          Is he allowed to re apply so soon and are we entitled to not appoint him again, many thanks

Answer 1

Potentially, if this drags on, your principal authority could asset that you are failing to make sufficient progress to fill the vacancy and call a by Election.  In such a situation the unsuitable candidate could be the only person standing and might be elected unopposed. If the person didn't stand you could be carrying a vacancy until six months before the full elections, in which case the option to run with a vacancy would kick in.

Comments

Hi, please see further information in my response to Dave the Clerk, thank you for your comments.

Answer 2

These are the cases where a council policy on co-option procedures is invaluable. Cannot see what can stop someone from re-applying but it would of course be necessary for the council to judge whether the reasons they found as a basis for "unsuitability" have changed or altered in any way. This would of course allow the candidate to address the council's reasons for rejection and put forward how they can be alleviated. Sticky ground indeed

Comments

Hi, please see further information in my response to Dave the Clerk, thank you for your comments.

Answer 3

Unsuitable because...?

Comments

Hi, this individual was originally elected, during a proper election, the community as a Parish Councillor.   After about 9 weeks and a couple of meetings he resigned, in his resignation letter, amongst other things, he stated that the Clerk was obstructive and he did not get on with her, he didn't get on with half of the councillors, that the council was full of too much red tape. He would meet with people in the village and make commitments that the other councillors had not discussed or knew anything about. (There is more but just to give you an idea)  many thanks for your help.

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Interesting. I have somebody hoping to join one of my councils to change the world. I know we'll fail to live up to his expectations.

Perhaps you could provide this gentleman with a copy of the Good Councillor's Guide, which explains the role of councils and their members in an easily-digestible form. He's obviously keen, but needs to be supported in gaining a greater understanding of the framework within which we all operate.

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Hi, many thanks for your advice and help.

Answer 4

My advice would be to ask him how he thinks the council has changed since he was last on    it Is it the same clerk and mostly  the same councillors ?

Comments

Hi, yes, it is the same Clerk and Councillors, it was about 6 weeks ago that he resigned, many thanks for your response.

Answer 5

The only “rule” I’m aware of re co-option (apart from the general qualifying rules) is that a person should apply and needs a majority vote of existing councillors in order to be co-opted.
I’ve seen good candidates refused purely on the basis that existing councillors didn’t like or felt threatened by them. Even seen the spouse of an existing Cllr refused co-option on the basis that a wife “could be” influenced by the husband - like some sort of Victorian through-back.
It’s a dreadful procedure which perpetuates bad practice, inefficiency and ineptitude by existing Cllr’s (in my example, the majority of themselves having been co-opted) “cloning” themselves.

Comments

Hi, many thanks for your response.

Answer 6

In my council, we ask that the candidates wanting to stand attend a number of meetings in advance so that they can get a taste of what is involved and then we would have an co-option meeting.  I can't see why you have an agenda item for co-option month on month?  Wouldn't it be better to take a step back, launch a campaign to encourage more candidates to step forward and take a few months publicising the positions?  Hopefully then you will have a number of candidates to consider rather than going round and round...?

Comments

Hi, thank you for your response.