Published 20/10/2026 By William Turtle-Clark

A rural Herefordshire parish council has been forced to call in temporary external appointments after a wave of resignations left it unable to legally function.

Welsh Newton & Llanrothal Group Parish Council currently has just 2 active members out of its standard 7 seats. Under local government law, parish councils must have at least one-third of their total membership present, or a minimum of 3 members, to form a quorum and make binding decisions.

Official notices show a succession of recent departures. In March, a vacancy was announced in Llanrothal following the resignation of Martin Barter. Ben Wall was co-opted to fill a Welsh Newton seat the same month, but resigned 2 months later. Former chair Ed Walker resigned in August, while two further resignations, Julie and Stephen Francis, were logged last month.

As a result of the shortages, scheduled meetings in July and September were both cancelled due to being inquorate.

To restore functionality, Herefordshire Council has issued a temporary Order appointing Old Gore ward councillor Barry Durkin to the parish council, with local ward councillor Elissa Swinglehurst also volunteering to step in.

Councillor Durkin confirmed the step was taken to ensure democracy continues to function effectively, emphasizing that the measures are temporary until local residents step forward to take on the community roles.

Parish clerk Andrée Mitchell indicated that a meeting planned for later this month aims to allow prospective candidates to come forward for co-option, though she acknowledged the recruitment process remains challenging.