Voters in an area of Burntwood will be given the chance to decide if they want a by-election to be held to select their new councillor.
It comes after Cllr Thomas Loughbrough-Rudd’s decision to stand down as the member for the Summerfield and All Saints ward at Burntwood Town Council in the wake of a tree funding controversy.
If ten registered voters write requesting a fresh vote then a by-election will take place.
But if that number is not reached, councillors will co-opt a new representative onto the town council.
Voters have two weeks if they wish to request the by-election by writing to the Returning Officer, District Council House, Frog Lane, Lichfield, WS13 6YU.
I think the cost of any by-election for the Town Council not combined with any other election covering the same area, and there are none in the offing, would be between £4000 and £6000 and would probably result in just 20% of electors bothering to vote unfortunately.
The money saved could go to the cost of a civic car.
Very interesting. I’m glad I read Lichfield Live. Otherwise I would never have known I had only two weeks to ask for an election. I wouldn’t even have known that one of our councillors had quit. I wonder when/if the Council were planning to tell us, or is that not part of the plan. This is why we need a local news provider. It is an important part of our democracy, keeping us informed about what is happening in our community and what our local representatives are doing. I for one will be sending a letter.
Does anyone know if the letters need to be from the people who live in the ward or can it be any Burntwood resident?