Conduct of Elections at Annual Meetings
1—(1) In rule 10, at the end of paragraph (9) there shall be added–
“Thereafter the secretary of the parochial church council shall hold a list of the names and addresses of the members of the council which shall be available for inspection on reasonable notice being given by any person who either is resident in the parish or has his name on the electoral roll, but the secretary shall not be bound to provide a copy of such list.”
(2) In rule 10, for paragraph (10) there shall be substituted–
“(10) Names and addresses, of parochial representatives of the laity elected to the deanery synod shall be sent by the secretary of the parochial church council to the diocesan electoral registration officer appointed in accordance with rule 23A of these rules and to the secretary of the deanery synod.”.
(3) In rule 10A after paragraph (1) there shall be inserted–
“(2) The annual meeting may make a scheme which provides that any person entitled to attend the annual meeting and vote in the elections of parochial representatives of the laity to the parochial church council or to the deanery synod or to both that council and that synod may make application in the form set out in section 4A of Appendix I for a postal vote.
(3) Where applications for postal votes have been received by the date specified in the notice convening the annual meeting and where the number of candidates nominated for an election referred to in paragraph (2) of this rule is greater than the number of seats to be filled, the annual meeting shall appoint a presiding officer who shall not be a candidate in the election. Voting papers shall be distributed to each person present at the meeting entitled to vote and completed papers shall be returned into the custody of the presiding officer before the close of the meeting. The presiding officer shall ensure that persons who have made application for a postal vote shall be sent or have delivered a voting paper within 48 hours of the close of the meeting such paper to be returned to the presiding officer within such period of not less than 7 days nor more than 14 days from the date of the meeting as the presiding officer shall specify.”
And the existing paragraph (2) shall be re-numbered (4).
(4) In rule 10A in paragraph (4) as renumbered at the end of the paragraph there shall be inserted–
“and, if the determination is that the scheme should not come into operation, the reasons for that determination in writing.”