DEMOCRACY is to return to Kingsclere in the shape of a parish council election.

After mass resignations and a short period of direct rule from Basingstoke, 11 residents have now put themselves forward to stand for the nine positions on Kingsclere Parish Council .

An election will be held on Thursday, September 13 to replace the interim council made up of borough councillors, who were parachuted in after the entire parish council quit.

Councillor Ranil Jayawardena , who has been acting as the vice-chairman of the interim parish council, said: “It is very healthy to see that so many local people want to be part of Kingsclere Parish Council to help it move forward from recent events.”

The 11 candidates are Sue Adams, Janet Bond, James Cruickshank, Alan Denness, Mick Farey, James Gibb, Darren Hardcastle, Raymond Peach, Tony Savin, John Sawyer and Peter Woodman. The council was thrown into disarray after all of its councillors mysteriously resigned on Tuesday, July 17 after meeting in private the previous evening.

An internal audit by the borough council into a parish council account is continuing.

Questions were asked earlier this year about the account, which relates to the controversial Holding Field youth centre project. Villager Len Potts obtained details under the Freedom of Information Act and revealed his findings.

The parish councillors all resigned shortly after seeing them.

Cllr Jayawardena said he hoped the interim council would be able to report back about the investigation at a planned parish council meeting on September 5 before the new councillors are elected.