A Douglas councillor has been forced to step down after it emerged he was not on the electoral register.
The name of Victoria ward councillor Jon Joughin, who was deputy mayor last year, has already been removed from the council’s website.
He has been a councillor since April 2012 and was a member of the executive committee.
But earlier this week, it was discovered that he was no longer on the voters’ list.
The discovery was made after his wife applied to stand for election in Murray’s ward.
Assistant town clerk Paul Cowin said: ‘He is not a member of the council. We have a vacancy in Victoria ward which will be the subject of a by-election.’
Douglas South MHK Bill Malarkey, who election to the Keys sparked the by-election in Murray’s ward, said: ‘It’s absolutely ridiculous.
‘He’s a hard working councillor. He insists he put the forms in. Yet the council have taken this draconian attitude. I would like to know how many other local authorities have checked the list to see if their commissioners are registered.’
The rules state that to stand for local authority election candidates must be on the voters’ list.
A town hall spokesman said the council had sought guidance from the Attorney General’s chambers.
He said a meeting of the executive committee would be held today (Friday) to discuss the way forward. He stressed that there was no question of any wrong-doing on Mr Joughin’s part.
Changes to the voters list meant that householders now have to register rather than be automatically enrolled.
But a government spokesman said the advice from the Attorney General’s chambers indicated there is no clear and unambiguous requirement to remove members who are not on the electoral register.
A statement form the Department of Infrastructure said: ‘Following consultation with the Attorney General’s Chambers, it is the Department’s view that the relevant section of the legislation is capable of more than one interpretation.
‘Whilst it is a matter for individual local authorities to determine, the department believes that there is no clear and unambiguous requirement to remove members who are not on the electoral register.’
This led to 2,000 fewer voters being registered in time for May’s House of Keys by-elections in Douglas North and South. Across the island, more than 12,000 names have been removed from the register.
Mr Joughin stood for the House of Key in the 2010 Douglas East by-election.