Town Mayor and the Council have had no lawful authority since May.

Here we have a picture of the Town Mayor who has held the position since May having been duly appointed by the members of the council according to the relevant legislation.
Wrong !!! this man has not been Mayor of the town since May because he was not appointed according to the relevant legislation.

The problem is (and its a big problem) is that Mr Cooke is not an elected member-he is a co opted member and according to the legislation LGA 1972 c70 s.15 being a non elected member legally barrs you from holding the position of mayor/deputy mayor given that those posts mean you are actually chairman/deputy chairman of the council.

Oh dear Mr Cooke you have misrepresented yourself as Mayor and continue to do so-your only option is to resign with immediate effect before the word gets out that you are acting and have acted beyond your lawful authority for the last 6 months.This also means that any decisions made by the council for that period under Cookes unlawful chairmanship are also void.