DRAFT minutes from Burneside Parish Council's last meeting have not shed any light on why seven councillors chose to simultaneously resign.

The last item included in the minutes of the November 2 meeting is titled 'resignations from the council'.

It states that the chairman had received letters of resignation from the council from Arty Cropper, David Ginsberg, Chris Granger, Jennifer Harrison, Tony Hill, John McCurdie and Jannice Wilkinson.

"These to take place from the close of this meeting," the document reads.

Last week the Gazette reported the resignations but no-one was prepared to go on the record to explain why it had happened.

It is believed the resignations could be centred around a vote to abandon the village's neighbourhood plan which was lauded last year as a scheme to rejuvenate a 'slumbering giant' of a village into a 'world class' location.

On the agenda for the meeting, the Burneside Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group proposed that the production of the early draft be rescinded and all work to produce the plan halted. It also proposed the plan be withdrawn and the steering group dissolved with 'immediate effect'.

The proposals on the cessation of the neighbourhood plan were accepted with five voting for, two against and one abstention.

There are now four remaining parish councillors, which is the exact number required to keep the parish council afloat.

The next parish council meeting will be held on December 7 at at St Oswald's Church Room, Burneside.