Volunteers or government officials could be parachuted in to make up numbers in local authorities where insufficient numbers of candidates have come forward for election.
Infrastructure Minister Phil Gawne said he was ‘disappointed but not surprised’ at the response to the call for candidates in this month’s local elections.
There will be elections in some including Castletown, Peel, Ramsey and Port St Mary. Others will see no election with candidates taking up seats unopposed. In Onchan five candidates stood for seven seats and so all five have been elected uncontested to serve as commissioners for the period from May 1 to April 30, 2020. Onchan will advertise for candidates in a by-election to fill the remaining two seats.
But in cases such as Ballaugh where only one candidate has come forward to stand, and in Marown where there has been only two, the Department of Infrastructure has the power under legislation from the 1970s to make an order to appoint people on a temporary basis to make up the numbers.
Mr Gawne said: ‘It’s a unique situation. We’re not aware of this happening before. We can make an order to make an appointment ensuring good governance until such time that they are replaced. These could be volunteers from the area or we could appoint officers.’
Clerk to Ballaugh, Jurby and Andreas John Quayle, however, said he thought the Minister was ‘jumping the gun’ - and people will come forward when they realised sitting commisioners were stepping down. Jurby is short by one candidate but Andreas’s five seats have all been filled uncontested.
Mr Gawne said the lack of candidates was ‘disappointing’ but added: ‘We’re in a transition period. In four years’ time people will see quite a difference in the role local authorities play.’ He said people have lost faith in the political system. ‘We’ve got to do something radical to change things. I’m so keen on getting local authorities reinvigorated.’ One problem may be that candidates are reluctant to come forward given the general election is only months away. Mr Gawne said: ‘We need to look at whether Keys elections should be every four years or local elections every five.’
Port St Mary goes to the polls on April 28 wih 10 candidates for nine seats. In Port Erin three empty seats remain after just six came forward.
There will be an election in Ramsey’s north ward with seven candidates for six seats but in south ward only five nominations were received for the six seats and a vacancy will be advertised in May.