Monday night’s meeting of Penrith Town Council had co-opting a new councillor on the agenda to fill a vacant seat for the Penrith East ward left vacant from the May town council elections when only two candidates stood in the ward that has three seats.

Ordinary co-option following a non-contested election is a process whereby a qualifying person can be appointed by the Council during the course of a council meeting uf the council choose to fill a vacant seat.

At the meeting, Penrith Town Council co-opted Mr David Knaggs onto the town council as councillor for the Penrith East Ward to fill the vacant seat.

Councillor Knaggs served on Penrith town council for the Penrith west ward over the last four years since the May 2019 elections, however he failed to hold onto his seat in the recent May 2023 town council elections in the ward finishing fourth out of four candidates.

The council chair and Penrith Mayor Cllr Lawson said that the co-option had been validated by the monitoring officer to enable the town council to co-opt after it had been challenged by according to Cllr Lawson someone from outside the parish of Penrith.

The Penrith Mayor is himself one of four town councillors who do not live in the parish of Penrith who sit on Penrith Town Council.

Cllr Lawson also made a statement referring to holding a potential election to fill the vacant seat instead of the co-option as “red tape”.

He then informed councillors what they “were in effect doing is a job interview.” before inviting the two candidates to speak to the council members as to why they were the best candidate in a three minuite time limit, having also submitted a CV to the council.

After both candidiates spoke the council moved into private session with the press and public asked to leave the room and stand outside for the councillors to discuss the co-option.

Speaking to the council members Mr Knaggs said he had “unfinished business” on the town council. He also made a statement that in his previous term as a town councillor he had never missed a council meeting despite apparent claims he had.

Penrith Town Council’s councillor attendance records listed on the council own website, covering May 2021 to May 2022 shows that of 11 meetings expected Cllr Knaggs attended only 3 meetings.

After the private debate by councillors, the press and public were allowed to return to the meeting to be informed by the mayor, that councillors had decided in the private session that they would propose to vote for the co-option by secret ballot.

At the start of the meeting Cllr Snell declared an interest in the co-option item as the partner of Mr Knaggs as one of the two candidates, however she was allowed to cast a secret ballot along with the other councillors in the meeting.

Each councillor in the meeting was handed a ballot paper to select one of the candidates for co-option.

With four councillors absent from the meeting ten councillors cast a ballot with a councillor officer walking around the room with a biscuit tin decorated with cartoon coloured teapots acting as a ballot box collecting the secret ballots of the councillors in the meeting.

The results were then counted and announced with 7 votes for Mr Knaggs, 2 votes for the second candidate and 1 void ballot paper.

Councillor Knaggs was as a result co-opted for the full remaining council four-year term.

On the announcement of the result Cllr Jeff Thomson, Independent, Penrith West town councillor who had been refused permission to speak publicly in the meeting on the co-option stood up and walked out of the meeting.

He issued a statement regarding the co-option of Cllr Knaggs at this evening meeting saying,

“We have one candidate, who, when he was a councillor on this council, was here through an uncontested seat.

When he did contest council seats - Eden District Council Penrith West September 2021. He came fourth and was NOT elected. Penrith Town Council May 2023, he came fourth and was NOT elected.

A candidate with such a track record of poor resident/elector support - two fourths in a row shows he does not have public support and NO mandate.

It would be wrong for councillors some of whom are here through uncontested seats themselves, appoint a candidate with such poor public support.

I believe as evidenced through low election turnouts there is already a disconnect and lack of confidence in Penrith Town Council.

Choosing this candidate would only ADD to that PLUS, I believe, a level of distrust in PTC and the democratic process. NOT only should there be fairness - there has to be the perception of fairness.

I strongly object if the previously rejected election candidate is 'appointed' to the town council by councillors.

I did not stand for election to gain my democratic place here, to find weeks later, the candidate who came last and was rejected by the electorate - 'manoeuvres' through the back door, back onto the council.”

On Councillor Knaggs’ appointment, Penrith Town Council Chair & Mayor Cllr Doug Lawson said:

“I am pleased to welcome Councillor Knaggs to Penrith Town Council.

“The people of the Penrith East Ward can be left assured that they will be represented by a councillor who has the best interests of the community at heart and who will work tirelessly to represent their views.

“I look forward to working with Councillor Knaggs over the term of the council.”

What do you think about the biscuit tin ballot to appoint new a town councillor?