While we're talking about governance, one of the quaint but prescriptive details of being a parish councillor is that you have to sign a declaration of acceptance of office (see
here). The legislation (
Section 83(4) of the Local Government Act 1972) says
QUOTE
A person elected to the office of chairman of a parish or community council or parish or community councillor shall—
(a)in the case of the chairman, at the meeting at which he is elected;
(b)in the case of a councillor, before or at the first meeting of the parish or community council after his election; or
©in either case if the council at that meeting so permit, before or at a later meeting fixed by the council;
make in the presence of a member of the council or of the proper officer of the council and deliver to the council a declaration of acceptance of office in a form prescribed by an order made by the Secretary of State, and if he fails to do so his office shall thereupon become vacant.
So councillors must either sign their declaration of acceptance of office at the first meeting of the council or else sign their declaration before or at a later meeting
if the council at that meeting so permit.
None of Cllrs Swift Hook, Johnson, or Drummond were present at the first meeting of the council after their election and so their declaration of acceptance of office had to be signed before or at a later meeting but only
if the council at that [first] meeting so permit, and there is no minute of a such a resolution being made by the council. There is a note in
the minutes under item 4 that "[t]heir Declarations of Acceptance of office can be completed at the next meeting if necessary", but that is not a resolution of the council (that requires a vote) and looks to me to be a mistaken belief that a councillor can sign their declaration of acceptance of office after the first meeting of the council without needing the council's permission.
Just my thoughts of course, but I wonder that a governance review might clarify the position.