A Suffolk council which has been through a turbulent period has seen a new member elected to its ranks.

Carol Schleip won Thursday’s Hadleigh by-election beating Brian Lazenby, a former mayor, by 210 votes to 130.

The by-election, which had a turnout of 11.2%, took place amid troubled times for the council.

Last month, a parish poll saw voters support calls for the “dysfunctional” council to resign – though the vote was not legally banding and standing members indicated they would continue in post.

Ms Schleip said the election had been “stressful” but she was “absolutely delighted” to have been voted in.

She said she wanted to work to address the criticisms directed at the town council and make Hadleigh “an even better place to work, live and play”.

“It’s going to be a transformation journey but there are like minded people keen to play a part and hopefully I can help the vision become a reality,” she added.