PORLOCK Parish Council has signed up to a national ‘Civility and Respect Pledge’ - nearly two years after a ‘toxic atmosphere’ saw all 12 of its councillors, and its clerk, resign in a matter of months.

It is the second parish council in West Somerset, after Stogursey, to endorse the pledge, which is being promoted by the National Association of Local Councils.

More than 1,000 parish and town councils up and down the country have to date signed up to the pledge.

It aims to deliver affordable training support for councillors, clerks, and employees who experience difficulties with bullying and harassment, and to begin addressing some of the causes of poor behaviour.

The project is working with Nimble, an online e-learning platform, to host the first four bespoke modules created specifically for the programme.

Porlock clerk Johnathan Jones said: “Council life at times can be challenging and as individuals we do not always see eye to eye, and that is all part of a healthy democracy.

“The ‘Civility and Respect Pledge’ is not an overnight transformation, it is a journey that we will go on together.

“We are at the very beginning of this change.

“It is widely recognised that cultural change is needed not only at a local level but across the sector and that signing up to the pledge is the right thing to do.

“It will not be easy, but it is one the council recognises the value and importance of and is willing to embrace.”