Douglas Council says it must comply with the law of the land after removing a councillor who was not on the voters list.

John Joughin, who was elected in April 2012, has been forced to stand down after it emerged he was not registered to vote. The government says the local authority should have taken a 'pragmatic and practical approach' to interpreting the relevant legislation, which has prompted the Council to highlight the relevant clause:

"6. Qualifications for election and holding office as member of local authority
A person shall, unless disqualified by virtue of this Act or any other enactment, be qualified to be elected and to be a member of a local authority for any district if his name is entered on the register of electors for that or any other district and on the day of the election he has attained the age of 18.”

In a statement, the Council says: 'Mr Joughin, no longer being on the register of electors, was advised regretfully that he was no longer qualified to be a councillor and that his seat was accordingly vacated.

'It would be quite wrong for Douglas Borough Council to allow an individual who was no longer qualified to be a councillor to take part in Council meetings and to vote on important issues with the knowledge that that person was no longer qualified to be a councillor and that any decisions taken or votes made by that person could be open to challenge.

'Douglas Borough Council very much regrets the loss of a well respected councillor but is very conscious that it must comply with the law of the land as determined by Tynwald.'

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