If a parish councillor leaves their seat during the course of their term, a casual vacancy will occur.
We have listed below the current notices of casual vacancies for the parish councils that fall within the boundaries of Peterborough City Council. A copy of the Notice of Casual Vacancy will also be on display in the parish area.
Current parish council casual vacancies
There is one casual vacancy for Etton Parish Council. The vacancy will be filled for Glinton at the next ordinary election of Councillors on 7 May 2026.
Why casual vacancies arise
A vacancy arises if a parish councillor:
- Resigns
- Dies
- Does not attend a parish council meeting for six months
- Does not sign their declaration of acceptance of office
- Ceases to be qualified or
- Is disqualified
Notifying us and advertising the casual vacancy
The parish council or clerk of the parish council must tell our Electoral Services Team as soon as possible if a casual vacancy occurs. Email electoralservices@peterborough.gov.uk.
Electoral Services will then produce a Notice of Casual Vacancy.
The parish council must then advertise the Notice of Casual Vacancy on parish noticeboards and their parish website (if they have one) for 14 working days. That period excludes bank holidays and weekends.
During this time, the electors for the parish may make up their minds as to whether or not they wish the vacancy to be filled by an election, or whether they are content for the parish council to fill the vacancy by co-option.
How to request an election
At least 10 local government electors from within the parish ward where the vacancy arose must make a request for an election to fill the casual vacancy.
We enclose a blank petition form to the parish clerk to enable 10 electors to give notice to Electoral Services. It is not a requirement to use the form.
Requests can either be recorded on the same document or can come separately. They can be made in writing to:
Electoral Services
Town Hall
Bridge Street
Peterborough
PE1 1GF
The document should include the full name and address of the elector(s) making the request so that their registration can be checked.
Only those people who are registered as local government electors within the relevant parish / parish ward can request an election.
All requests are open to inspection by the public.