Christine Lawrence, a Conservative councillor who has represented the Dunster division in Somerset for over 20 years, has announced her retirement, prompting a by-election expected to take place later this autumn.
Ms Lawrence has been a dedicated public servant in the Dunster area, encompassing the village itself and several surrounding rural communities between Minehead and the Quantock Hills. After being granted a six-month leave of absence in September 2023 by Somerset Council chief executive Duncan Sharkey—allowing her to remain a councillor without attending public meetings—she has now formally stepped down.
Her resignation was officially confirmed by Somerset Council leader Bill Revans during the council’s executive committee meeting in Taunton on September 8. Revans acknowledged her long-standing commitment, stating, “Councillor Christine Lawrence has been a great servant to this council and its predecessors over many years. We wish her well in her retirement.”
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In a resignation letter dated September 3, Ms Lawrence expressed gratitude to fellow councillors and council officers for their support and referred to her role as a “wonderful opportunity” to serve the west Somerset community.
Ms Lawrence’s political career began in the 1990s when she was elected to Minehead Town Council. She later served as the Conservative ward member for Minehead North in West Somerset Council from 1999 until 2001. Subsequently, she was elected to Somerset County Council as the Dunster division member in 2001, a position she held continuously for 24 years. Following the establishment of the new Somerset Council in 2022, she shared representation of the Dunster division with Liberal Democrat Councillor Marcus Kravis.
Council chairman Mike Best has invited councillors to publicly thank Ms Lawrence at the upcoming full council meeting in Bridgwater scheduled for September 23. In the interim, Councillor Kravis will handle all casework and inquiries related to the Dunster division.
The scheduling of the by-election awaits a formal notice of vacancy, which will be posted after the funeral of Councillor Nick Cottle, the Liberal Democrat member for Glastonbury who passed away in August. His funeral is set for September 10, and the council aims to hold the Dunster and Glastonbury by-elections on the same day, depending on when both vacancies are officially declared.