NOMINATIONS are open to fill a combined 13 vacancies on two Wee County community councils.

An election process will be run by Clackmannanshire Council over the coming weeks to fill seats in Alloa and Alva.

Alloa Community Council is looking to fill nine vacancies, while there are four seats to fill at Alva Community Council.

The two-stage election process will be administered by the council to maintain neutrality.

Encouraging people to get involved, Provost Donald Balsillie said: "Community councils make a significant contribution to civic life.

"The part they play in representing the interests of their areas and safeguarding and improving the quality of community life sometimes goes unseen, and is all the more admirable for that reason.

"Giving time and effort to the work of your community council is just one way in which residents can meaningfully drive and contribute to collective efforts to improve their communities.

"I would recommend anyone who is wondering if they should become a community councillor to take the next step and get a nomination form."

Nominations require a nominee, a proposer and a seconder who fill out a nomination form.

Anyone who is over the age of 16 and appears on the electoral roll in the community council area can stand, propose or second.

Notices about the interim community council elections are going up at key community locations in Alloa and Alva, inviting residents to make nominations to their respective community councils.

Meanwhile, there will be no opportunity to re-establish Tullibody, Cambus and Glenochil Community Council this year, following a call to residents in August to put requests into writing.

As reported previously, the area has been without a community council to represent residents' views on important issues since last October as not enough nominations were received to fill the minimum number of seats.

There was an opportunity last month for residents to put requests for community council elections into writing to the local authority, which at the time said there's was a forthcoming window of time to hold community council elections.

The council confirmed it did not receive the 20 requests needed from the area to trigger interim elections this year; however, there will still be future opportunities.

The closing date for nominations in Alloa and Alva is 4pm on Thursday, October 13.

Contact the Elections Office on 01259 452266 or email: elections@clacks.gov.uk for more information and for a nomination pack.

Alternatively visit clacks.gov.uk/community/communitycouncilelections/.