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Member Vacancy (Co-option): Hailsham Town Council

Council News & Services

Photo of outside of Hailsham Town Council offices 

There is a councillor vacancy in the North Ward of Hailsham Town Council as recently advertised, but an election has not been called and therefore it falls to current Town Councillors to select a new member by co-option.

Suitably qualified candidates (who must be residents of the parish, be occupied in the parish, or live within three miles of the parish) are invited to submit a formal expression of interest, stating their suitability on (no more than) one side of A4.

Applicants may wish to consult the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) publication ‘The Good Councillor’s Guide‘, which provides a clear overview of the legal framework for town councils and what is expected of the role of councillor.

The address to send the expression of interest to is: John Harrison (Town Clerk), Hailsham Town Council, Inglenook, Market Street, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 2AE.

Anyone submitting an expression of interest by 4pm on Friday 19 March 2021, will be invited to attend the meeting of Full Council scheduled for 7pm on Wednesday 24 March 2021, which will, due to COVID-19 restrictions, be held remotely/online (meeting access details provided by the Town Clerk when a public notice of the meeting is released).

Expressions of interest will be circulated with the Agenda for the meeting.

Candidates will each be offered around 5 minutes to state their suitability and Council members will then be offered an opportunity to question the candidates together.  Following that, members may either resolve to proceed directly to a secret ballot or may resolve to exclude press and public (including the candidates) pending a debate on the suitability of the candidates.  The co-option will be decided by the achievement of an absolute majority of votes.

“Becoming a town councillor is very rewarding and it means you can make a real difference to the quality of people’s lives locally,” said John Harrison, Town Clerk at Hailsham Town Council. “Special qualifications are not a pre-requisite, but it helps if you enjoy speaking with a wide range of people and you care about Hailsham and the issues facing local residents.”

“Hailsham Town Council is active and involved in a number of aspects of community life. Collectively, we are responsible for decisions affecting a range of services to the community with an annual budget of over £1M.”

“If you’d like to get involved in the local community and become a town councillor, this co-option could be your chance to make a difference. Or perhaps you’re already involved in local affairs and want to take the next step?”

If you have any questions regarding the co-option process or workings of Hailsham Town Council, please contact the Town Clerk by email (john.harrison@hailsham-tc.gov.uk).


Enquiries relating to this media release

Terry Hall, Communications Officer
Hailsham Town Council, Market Street, Hailsham, East Sussex, BN27 2AE
Telephone: 01323 841702 | Email: terry.hall@hailsham-tc.gov.uk