40.—(1) Section 11 of the [1962 c. 14 (N.I.)] Electoral Law Act (Northern Ireland)1962 (election and term of office of members of district councils) shall have effect subject to the following provisions of this Article.
(2) In subsection (4) for the words “shall be filled in accordance with the Local Election Rules” there shall be substituted the words “shall be filled in accordance with subsection (4A)”.
(3) After subsection (4) there shall be inserted the following subsections—
“(4A) A casual vacancy to which subsection (4)(c) applies shall be filled by a person elected at an election to fill the vacancy and any other casual vacancy shall be filled—
(a)by a person chosen by the council in accordance with subsection (4B); or
(b)if no person is chosen as mentioned in paragraph (a), by a person elected at an election to fill the vacancy.
(4B) Where a casual vacancy in a district council falls to be filled in accordance with this subsection—
(a)a meeting of the council to choose a person to fill the vacancy shall be held not less than 14 days nor more than 42 days after the occurrence of the vacancy;
(b)the clerk of the council shall give every member of the council not less than 7 days written notice of the meeting which notice shall state as the first business of the meeting the choice of a person to fill the vacancy;
(c)the council may at that meeting choose to fill the vacancy any person who is qualified to be a member of the council and is not objected to by any member of the council present at the meeting; and
(d)any person so chosen shall be deemed for all purposes to have been duly elected a member of the council.
(4C) Where a meeting of a district council held in accordance with subsection (4B) fails to choose a person to fill a casual vacancy, the clerk of the council shall, within 7 days of the meeting, notify the Chief Electoral Officer—
(a)that a casual vacancy has arisen in the council and that a meeting held in accordance with subsection (4B) has failed to choose a person to fill that vacancy;
(b)of any other matter concerning the casual vacancy which has come to the knowledge of the clerk of the council.” .
Para. (4) rep. by 1992 NI 6