THE chairman of the West Somerset Railway Association – the organisation set up to support the heritage line that runs from Minehead to Bishops Lydeard – has resigned.

David Williams announced his intention to stand down at an extraordinary general meeting last Sunday, which was held after demands from a splinter group within the divided organisation.

The Reform Group claims the WRSA – which last year made a controversial and subsequently aborted bid to buy the freehold of the line – has become increasingly isolated from working members and the West Somerset Railway plc, which operates the railway.

Mr Williams and fellow trustees Peter Chidzey and Nick Nicholls narrowly survived bids to remove them from the board.

But at the meeting in Bishops Lydeard, which was attended by around 200 people, a motion of no confidence in the board was passed – albeit narrowly – by 1,178 votes to 1,127.

However, a call for an independent review into the aims and objectives of the WRSA received more substantial backing, being passed by 1317 votes to 1010.

Reform Group member Robin White said the meeting was stormy.

And he said it emerged that there had been anomalies in the voting, with concern over the way the proxy votes were handled.

Ms White said calls for one of the votes to be retaken were ignored and Mr Williams had closed the meeting.

The no confidence motion against Mr Williams was lost by just 15 votes and against Mr Chidzey by 55 votes.

But Mr Nichols' vote was tied at 1,120, leaving Mr Williams to use his casting vote as chairman of the meeting to save his fellow trustee.

Ms White said the Reform Group was concerned that not all the proxy votes had either been counted or allocated correctly and it was considering how the position could be regularised.

"The real problem that we have in the association is the split between the members who actually work on the railway and the more remote supporters," she said.

In a statement issued after the meeting, Mr Williams said that, while the trustees were naturally pleased that motions to remove them were unsuccessful, the board acknowledged there was still an "unhealthy disconnect" between a section of the membership and the trustees and that much work needed to be done in terms of communication.

He confirmed that he told the meeting he did not wish to continue as chairman and would be stepping down to allow a new chairman to be elected before the end of the month.

But he said the trustees wanted to thank all those members who had supported them and would continue their efforts at reconciliation with those who wanted a review of the association's aims.

"The challenge going forward will be to find a solution that enables the majority of members who wish to contribute positively to both the association and the wider railway to do so constructively and in a more harmonious atmosphere in the future."

Mr Williams said moves were already underway to find a suitable independent candidate with relevant experience to undertake a thorough review of the association's aims and objectives.

"It is important that we get it right and find a review format that is transparent and, above all, of value to the charity going forward."

Mr Williams said the person selected to carry out the review would not be drawn from the current trustees or those who oppose them, although it was envisaged that both of those parties would be able to give their input into the review.

"Most members are not remotely interested in internal and personality politics," he said.

"They are interested in railways and our railway in particular – its locomotives, rolling stock, stations, infrastructure and people.

"I think we need to return to focusing on what should be central to everyone's aims, ensuring the continued success, development and improvement of the West Somerset Railway."