The election of a chairman shall be the first business transacted at the annual meeting of the council.

If, apart from section 11(4) or 13(1), the person presiding at the meeting would have ceased to be a member of the council, he shall not be entitled to vote in the election except in accordance with paragraph (3).

In the case of an equality of votes the person presiding at the meeting shall give a casting vote in addition to any other vote he may have.

A council may elect a councillor to be vice-chairman of the council andF3, subject to paragraph 3(4) of Schedule 2, the vice-chairman shall, unless he resigns or becomes disqualified, hold office until the chairman elected at the next annual meeting of the council becomes entitled to act, and during that time shall continue to be a member of the council notwithstanding the provisions of section 11(2)( c) of the Electoral Law Act (Northern Ireland) 1962.

Subject to any standing orders made by the council, anything authorised or required to be done by, to or before the chairman in relation to the business of the council may be done by, to or before the vice-chairman.

A council may pay to the vice-chairman of the council such allowance as the council considers to be reasonable to meet the expenses of his office.

Notwithstanding anything in section 18(3)( a) of the Interpretation Act (Northern Ireland) 1954 M2, no function shall be exercisable by or in relation to a deputy mayor or a deputy lord mayor that is not exercisable by or in relation to any other vice-chairman of a council.

A person elected to the office of chairman or vice-chairman of a council shall not act in that office until he has made a declaration that he accepts the office and has served the declaration on the clerk of the council.

If a person elected to the office of chairman or vice-chairman does not make the declaration mentioned in subsection (1), and serve it on the clerk of the council, within the period of two months from the day of his election, the office of the person elected shall at the expiration of that period become vacant.

A person elected to the office of chairman or vice-chairman of a council may at any time resign his office as such by notice signed by him and served on the clerk of the council.

A resignation shall take effect upon the receipt by the clerk of the notice of resignation.

If the chairman of a council is continuously absent from the district of the council for which he acts, except in case of illness, for a period exceeding three months, he shall, as from the expiration of that period, cease to hold his office as chairman.

Where a person ceases to be chairman of a council under subsection (1), the council shall forthwith declare his office as chairman to be vacant and signify the vacancy by notice signed by the clerk of the council and published in such manner as the council directs.

On a casual vacancy occurring in the office of chairman of a council, the councillors shall elect one of their number to be chairman.

An election under subsection (1) shall be held not later than the next ordinary meeting of the council held after the date on which the vacancy occurs, or if that meeting is held within fourteen days after that date, then not later than the next following ordinary meeting of the council, and shall be the first business transacted at the meeting in question.

A meeting of a council for the purposes of an election under subsection (1) may be convened by the clerk of the council.

A person elected to fill a casual vacancy shall hold office until the date upon which the person in whose place he is elected would regularly have retired, and he shall then retire.