11.—(1) The ordinary election of councillors in 1997 for the council of the existing county of Hereford and Worcester shall not take place; and any councillor for that council holding office immediately before the relevant date who would, but for this paragraph, have retired on that date shall, unless he resigns his office or it otherwise becomes vacant, continue to hold office until the reorganisation date.
(2) Section 89 of the 1972 Act (filling of casual vacancies in case of councillors) shall have effect, in relation to a casual vacancy occurring in the office of councillor for any relevant electoral area, as if the reference in subsection (3) of that section to the day on which the councillor whose office is vacant would regularly have retired were a reference to the reorganisation date; and, for this purpose, “relevant electoral area” means a ward in the existing city of Hereford or the existing district of Leominster, Malvern Hills or South Herefordshire or an electoral division of the existing county of Hereford and Worcester.