A ‘TOXIC atmosphere’ around Porlock Parish Council saw its remaining five elected councillors resign en masse.

Seven of the 12 councillors who were elected in May of this year resigned over the course of a few weeks in the late summer, and the council also similarly lost its clerk. By-elections were scheduled to be held in December to fill the seven vacancies but only five candidates stepped forward and they were therefore elected uncontested, leaving two places to be filled by co-option.

Now, council chairman Cllr Chris Wood has stood down with immediate effect along with the other four ‘survivors’ from the May elections – Cllrs Malcolm McCoy, Ian Fraser, Theresa Gable, and John Ware.

In October, Cllr Wood put the council’s problems down to a ‘toxic atmosphere’ which had been created by anonymous ‘malicious social media’ posts after questions about the accuracy of its financial dealings.

This week, Cllr Wood told the Free Press: “We have had a rough passage in the last few months.

“We just decided enough is enough.

“There are other things to do in life, particularly when the people who have been doing the sniping now find themselves on the council. It is difficult to contemplate working together. People have been picking holes in individuals and it is sending a very bad message to the community at large about life in Porlock.”

Cllr Wood said he believed at least three of the new councillors had already signed their declarations of acceptance of office and would be ready to attend the next full council meeting on December 14, where a chairman would need to be appointed.

The new uncontested councillors include Cllrs Lesley Thornton and Duncan McCanlis, who were among the unsuccessful candidates in May, together with David Thornton, Sue McCanlis, and Marc Mariner.

The five new vacancies will shortly be advertised and by-elections organised by Somerset West and Taunton Council if more than five candidates are nominated, failing which the parish council will need to co-opt more new members.

An interview was recently conducted with an applicant for the vacant Porlock clerk’s post but Cllr Wood said it had been decided to leave a final decision for the in-coming councillors.