Councillor vacancies

When a local council seat becomes vacant in the course of a term, we publish a Notice of Vacancy on this page. This notice advertises the vacant seat and sets out the process for calling a by-election.

In order to request a Town/Parish Council by-election, 10 registered voters of the parish/ward must make a request, in writing, to us within 14 working days.

In order to request a District/County by-election, a request needs to be made in writing to us by 2 electors from the Local Authority Area.

If an election is not called then the relevant council can co-opt a new councillor to fill the vacancy.