In the last week three councillors have resigned from Shepton Mallet Town Council, and now an extraordinary meeting will be held to fill their roles.

Those three councillors also held positions of responsibility within the council as chair, vice-chair and chair of the Human Resources Committee.

Edric Hobbs, Wayne Frapple and Beccy Manley have resigned from the council, and town clerk Charlotte Starkie has thanked the trio for their contribution to and support of the council over the last 18 months.

She said: "This has come as a surprise to councillors and staff, but it gives us an opportunity to keep moving forward with new people to serve the community.

"So while it creates a pause in our work plans, it is not the end. Therefore, there will be an extraordinary meeting to seek nominations for the vacant role of chair and vice-chair.

"In order to comply with legalities, I will call that meeting to be held on Zoom on November 10 at 7pm.

"The remaining meetings for the year will be paused and rescheduled by maybe two weeks to allow the new leadership to work with me to discuss how the council can move forward.

"At the same time I will inform the elections officer at Mendip District Council to announce the three vacancies. Members of the public might be mindful to call for an election to fill these vacancies.

"If that is the wish of the community please be aware that no public election or poll can be conducted until after May 2021 due to current coronavirus regulations, so those three vacancies would remain empty until at least that date.

"The alternative method is that the council, after a period of two weeks, calls for volunteers to come forward to fill the 'casual vacancies' and those seats can be filled at a council meeting, most likely to be held in January 2021.

"I think it is helpful to remind the public that councillors, while serving on a corporate body, are also volunteers, workers or retirees and family people.

"They bring a wealth of skills and experience, and diverse thought to the council, and to manage 16 personalities and the commitments of being a chair is not without its issues.

"The council has committed to deliver some exciting projects in the coming months, off the back of the publication of the Town Plan, the successful Business Awards and the bird art project, and plans are afoot to regenerate the town, with collaborative work with many community groups. Please bear with us while we regroup and come back stronger."