A SOMERSET councillor has been given a six-month leave of absence due to ill-health and a recent bereavement.

Green councillor Helen Kay represents the Frome East division on Somerset Council, which includes the Keyford Meadows housing development and three other significant estates which have been recently given the go-ahead.

Ms Kay – who previously represented the town on Mendip District Council – has been granted a leave of absence by council chief executive Duncan Sharkey, citing “ill health” and the impact of a recent bereavement.

In her absence, all casework will be handled by the other Frome East division member, fellow Green councillor Shane Collins.