Council goes ahead with filling vacancy

Llangollen Town Council is going ahead with the process of filling a vacancy in its ranks left by the recent resignation of Tim Palmer.

Mr Palmer announced at the May meeting he and his family were leaving the UK to begin a new life abroad.

At the latest council meeting on Tuesday night, Town Clerk Gareth Thomas told members the first part of the legal process of finding a replacement was to sound out the desire for a bye-election.

This requires ten electors to sign a petition calling for a ballot but Mr Thomas said that as no such petition had been submitted by the deadline of the previous day, the second part of the process had begun.

This means co-opting a new councillor without the need for a bye-election.

Candidates for co-option need to submit a formal application by a certain date and members agreed with Mr Thomas’s suggestion this should be set at Friday, July 12.

Once all applications have been received, said Mr Thomas, it will then be up to councillors to elect their chosen candidate.

Members agreed that if more than two people put their names forward for the vacancy a special meeting council meeting will be called when the decision will be made.

If two of fewer people apply the decision will be taken during a regular council meeting.