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Elections cancelled due to lack of candidates

Paul Barltrop & Ben Marvell
BBC West Online
Getty Images A medieval church stands in amongst a green area with a large stone building to the left and red brick buildings in the background.Getty Images
Dauntsey has around 600 residents and will hold a third parish council election next month after today's was cancelled

A dozen parish councils are unable to function due to a lack of candidates, stoking fears about the future of local democracy.

Dauntsey, near Lyneham in Wiltshire, is one of the areas affected, with Thursday's election cancelled because it failed to meet the minimum number of people standing.

Parish councils represent the most local tier of government, with responsibilities for open spaces, street lighting and certain public amenities. Other areas affected in Wiltshire include Burbage, Ashton Keynes, and Redlynch.

Vivian Vines, Dauntsey parish clerk, said it is a struggle to keep functioning. He added: "I'm holding the fort trying to make decisions on the council's behalf."

Mr Vines added the parish is charged for each failed election and this was creating a financial problem.

For a parish election to take place, the law states there must be at least three people standing.

When asked, residents were divided on whether they would put their names forward.

Former council chair Ellen Blacker said that she was "really surprised that nobody ended up going for nomination".

She added that if the situation continued she would probably nominate herself again, because she does not want to "see the village let down".

Lucy Townsend, Wiltshire Council's returning officer, said that it was disappointing "there aren't more people that recognise what value they could add to their local communities".

"We have to have town and parish councils that are able to function," she said.

Nominations in Dauntsey are due to open again shortly, ahead of next month's election, as the community tries to elect a parish council for the third time in as many months.

Uncontested parish council elections that were due to take place on Thursday are listed below:

  • Ashton Keynes
  • Burbage
  • Dauntsey
  • Grafton
  • Heywood
  • Latton
  • Little Bedwyn
  • Lydiard Tregoze
  • Oaksey
  • Redlynch
  • Stockton
  • Winterbourne Stoke

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