SHIREBROOK TOWN COUNCIL COLLAPSED – THIRD CHAIR RESIGNED

Yet another Chair of STC has resigned. Sarah Brooks is now the third Leader of Council this year to abandon the ship while the ship itself is steaming full speed toward an iceberg. For a moment, she looked like the right person in the right place. But after a while, it started to look like she bit more than she could chew. I don’t blame her- family comes first.

Being a councillor is not as easy as most people think it is. You need that special thing, a talent, a drive, a thirst for a good outcome, no matter the obstacles built by opponents. You need all those things just to be a decent councillor. If you want to be a good councillor who sits through his whole term of office, you need everything I listed above and then some, much more.

CHAPTER: TWO NEW RESIGNATIONS
Previous resignations, although significant, were not as dangerous to the town’s functioning as the recent ones. This time, the consequences are far more drastic. With the additional resignation of Cllr Tony Burns, STC has become inquorate. That little, innocent word “inquorate” is monumental in this context.

It means that STC ceases to operate, and Bolsover District Council must step in to stabilise the situation. Technically speaking, Bolsover District Council is now required to trigger Section 91 of the Local Government Act 1972. What does that mean? Today, I will explain to residents what happened, what happens next, and how we can get out of this mess.

CHAPTER: SECTION 91 – WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A TOWN COUNCIL COLLAPSES
I will not dive into the reasons behind the last two resignations. Facebook is already overflowing with accusations, counter-accusations and emotionally charged statements. I want to talk about facts.

Fact is: two more councillors resigned, and with that one step, Shirebrook Town Council officially crossed a line that very few councils in England ever reach: it no longer has a legal quorum. Without a quorum, STC cannot meet, cannot vote, cannot co-opt, cannot spend money, cannot approve minutes, and cannot function at all. It is legally frozen. Fortunately, our predecessors anticipated that such situations could happen. In 1972, Parliament created a legal framework to rescue a collapsed council from the hole and restore it to operational status.

This is where Section 91 of the Local Government Act 1972 steps in — a mechanism designed specifically for moments like this.

CHAPTER: WHAT IS SECTION 91?
Section 91 is an “emergency patch” built into UK local government law. Its purpose is simple. If a parish or town council becomes inquorate, the District Council can appoint temporary councillors to enable the council to function again.

That’s it. No elections, no politics, no judgment. Just a legal fail-safe. With fewer than six councillors, STC cannot legally hold meetings, cannot run co-options, and cannot approve anything. It is stuck, and the law does not allow a council to stay stuck. So the higher tier of government needs to step in. Bolsover District Council must now intervene to prevent a collapsed council from staying collapsed.

CHAPTER: WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? (REALISTIC TIMELINE)
First: STC notifies BDC. This is automatic, and I assume it has already happened.

Second: BDC drafts a Section 91 Order. This legal document appoints temporary councillors to bring STC back up to quorum. Usually, these appointees are district councillors or other suitable individuals chosen by BDC.

Third: BDC approves the Order. This can happen at a full council meeting, a cabinet meeting or via an emergency delegated decision. It can be done quickly if required.

Fourth: Temporary councillors take office. Once appointed, STC becomes quorate again, and meetings can resume legally. A new Chairman can be elected, and urgent financial and governance issues can finally be dealt with — including co-options.

I assume the temporary councillors will be appointed solely to allow STC to co-opt enough new councillors to function again, after which normal business will return to the renewed council. According to my research, once enough permanent councillors have been elected or co-opted, and a quorum is stable, the Section 91 Order expires, and STC returns to normal democratic operation.

CHAPTER: WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR SHIREBROOK?
There is a wise saying: “Lies are like debt. Sooner or later, you have to pay for them with interest.” Some may feel that Labour-style behaviours at STC — procedural shortcuts, unclear communications, a lack of transparency, and a pattern of secret, last-minute decisions — have accumulated like unpaid debts. And now, the town is paying the bill for years of poor governance and avoidable drama.

Whether residents agree with that assessment or not, one thing is certain: the consequences have now arrived. And I hope people will remember this moment on the next election day. After the last election, Labour had 16 councillors. Now? There is no STC…

CHAPTER: TWO SEATS ARE OPEN AGAIN
From the 16 councillors elected in the last full election, only four remain: Shaun Cheeseman, Fred Gobey, Brian Murray-Carr and Dale Smith. There is also Martin Barber, elected in a by-election.

Can we blame them for the current situation? No. Not at all. None of them was in a leadership position in the last decade. When others run away, they stay in position, ready to serve. You must respect that. Still, we have 9 seats up for co-option and 2 additional vacant seats after the last wave of resignations.

The BDC website has already published a Vacancy Notice for two seats in the South Ward.


CHAPTER: ENDGAME
I have no idea how many people besides me have applied for co-option, but after this whole co-option drama, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone says: “I would rather expose myself to the electorate’s judgment than go through yet another ordeal of the co-option process”.

Sylwester Zwierzynski info@shirebook247.com