Wem Town Council is looking for a new person to be co-opted onto to its team after the resignation of a long-standing councillor.

Clive Shingler submitted his resignation in the middle of last month after serving the East Ward for many years.

His resignation has now left a vacancy to be filled and it is legal requirement for a request from ten electors to be made to Shropshire's returning officer, with a two-week period, that an election should be held.

However, that deadline passed yesterday evening, and it is likely that Wem Town Council will instead take submissions from prospective councillors and will aim to co-opt a new member to replace Mr Shingler.

Help on how to contact the returning officer is at www.wem.gov.uk/news

Meanwhile, councillors in Wem have been told that responses to a Shropshire Council consultation for parking in Barnard Street were mixed.

Town clerk Penny O'Hagan reported back that people were for implementing restrictions along the road, which is off Mill Street, in the form of double yellow lines.

Councillor Pauline Dee added that residwents she had spoken to were in favour of double yellow lines, but in different areas , with two different corners of the street suggested.

Correspondence received at the meeting, which was held at the end of March, including representation from Wem Civic Society.

Shelagh Richardson spoke to update the council about the society's own Annual General Meeting, which was held earlier in the year.

One of the items discussed at the Society AGM was Wem's lack of a duck pond but it was announced during the meeting that the town could not have a duck pond because of health and safety reasons.

It was also agreed that, as part of their grant funding, Wem Town Hall would have four meetings a year with the town council.

However, it was announced that two of those meetings will just be with town clerk Mrs O'Hagan and two with the councillors.

A request for funding from the Shropshire Playing Fields Association was deferred to the financial sub-committee meeting, while councillors acknowledged three more letters.