Not enough candidates have come forward to fill all the seats in the island’s local authorities.
The official candidate lists for all those standing in the local authority general elections were finalised yesterday (Wednesday).
The elections - held in all 21 local authority areas - were previously postponed twice because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
They are set to take place on Thursday, July 22.
The deadline for prospective candidates to submit their nomination papers was Tuesday, June 29, and people had until 2pm on Wednesday to object to nominations or withdraw their own candidature.
Six wards fielded enough candidates to hold elections as normal on July 22, these are: Castletown, Douglas (in the North, East and Central wards), Garff, Onchan, Peel and Santon.
A further seven local authorities did not field enough candidates to hold a regular election, and so they will call for further candidates to step forward for future by-elections - the date for which has not been confirmed.
These authorities are: Ballaugh, Bride, Lezayre, Malew, Port Erin, Port St Mary and Ramsey.
The local authorities of Jurby, Marown and Patrick could not be reached in time for the publication of this issue of the Manx Independent.
The government had previously expressed concerns that there would be a lack of people stepping forward as candidates, a fear which was partially justified yesterday.
The issue was raised by former MHK and Examiner columnist David Cretney.
Earlier this month, Arbory and Rushen Commissioners chair Jane Glover stressed that local authority members can have a big influence in shaping the area they live in.
She said: ’I think everybody has an image of what an MHK is but they don’t really fully understand what commissioners do. From my experience it’s much broader than people actually imagine.
’For anyone out there that is passionate about the community that they live in, wants to keep it in [a] good state, want[s] to make improvements; I really would encourage them [to stand].’
She added: ’Stand up, step forward and stand up for their community.’
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Tony Brown, who was a commissioner before entering central government, called for those that care about their communities to come forward.
He said: ’The importance of commissioners should not be undervalued.
’People who are considering standing need to, one, care about the area they want to stand for, and be willing to fight to protect and safeguard things that matter to their local area.’
The local authority elections do not usually fall in the same year as the House of Keys General Election - a fact which may have overshadowed the nomination process, as some have set their sights on the House of Keys instead.
The next House of Keys General Election takes place on Thursday, September 23.