Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what provisions his Department makes for serving personnel who are Parish Councillors in order to retain their Parish Council seat in the event that they are deployed for a period greater than six months.

Section 85 of the Local Government Act 1972 lays out the rules for extended absences greater than six months.

It gives provision for individuals to seek approval for absences greater than six months, which would allow them to retain their seat. Under the Armed Forces Covenant we would expect that deployment is given appropriate regard by the authority when making this decision.

When employed within the Armed Forces in connection with war or any emergency, Section 85 entitles the member to relief from the six-month rule, if the failure to attend is due to that employment.

The exact wording can be found at the following link: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1972/70/section/85.