A resident of Midsomer Norton has written to the national body representing the interests of local councils to ask whether, given recent events, the council should still, as shown on the website, carry a Gold standard for quality.

As part of on-going questions about the council and its operating principles, the reader also contacted Nub News, referencing the recent resignations of staff, and a councillor, and also asking why the council seemed so keen to move local matters into working committees, rather than have them dealt with at open council meetings.

The problem, they claimed, was " A lack of transparency, as these Working Party's don't meet in public. "

The National Association of Local Councils have awarded Midsomer Norton Town Councils a Gold standard for quality - an accreditation which lasts for four years. It is on the top of the council web site, and attached to all emails from the council.

However the reader said events over the last few months have damaged the reputation of Midsomer Norton Town Council, with one group of residents now forming a social media group asking if the council is working as it should.

The private group HERE says it aims to " Hold our town council to account... for us the public of Midsomer Norton to have our say on what the town council are doing and to make our voices heard."

The council in the last minutes of its meeting is considering whether it can continue using the Gold Standard mark. It was given the award in the spring of 2019, with the citation on the web site: "Midsomer Norton Town Council goes above and beyond their legal obligations, leading their communities and continuously seeking opportunities to improve and develop even further. Having already achieved the Foundation Award and the Quality Award, Midsomer Norton Town Council is the first in the Avon Local Council Association to achieve the Quality Gold Award!"

NALC responded by saying that any complaints about the conduct of the council needed, in the first instance, to be brought up with the council directly.

" While a council is expected to maintain its reputation by meeting the criteria throughout the 4 years of accreditation, NALC is not a statutory body, so we do not monitor or regulate the activities of individual councils. I'm sorry we cannot be of further help but thank you again for highlighting these issues. If you have a complaint against this council then you will need to raise it in the first instance, via their complaints procedure. "

The Mayor of Midsomer Norton Town Council has described the situation when Councillors feel the need to resign - along with the clerk and deputy clerk of Midsomer - as 'very sad'.

The next full meeting of the Town Council is tonight (March 6) at 7pm at the council rooms next door to the library. On the agenda discussion about the council tax budget leaflet, which now shows from the last meeting, a proposed precept increase to within the current rate of inflation, that is for a precept of £469,189.93 from B&NES.

The council has stated that it wants to set a balanced budget for 2023/24.

However some costs cannot be known yet, specifically, without a new clerk or deputy as yet, there are proposals to authorise the Locum Clerk to develop a "brief to undertake a full organisational and staffing restructure for Midsomer Norton Town Council. The brief would be tendered to sector specific contractors. " And there might be an additional cost in hiring in a recruitment consultant to fill the vacancies.