Members of Attleborough Town Council have been offered the taxpayer-funded sessions following a "surge in negativity" on Facebook.

Much of the online criticism was triggered by a row between councillors over a business deal, rather than their council-related activities, and the decision to offer counselling has caused anger among voters and the TaxPayers' Alliance.

The idea of funding therapy sessions was agreed during a meeting where Samantha Taylor - who sits on the council along with father, John, and daughter, Taila - said her family had been abused online over a disagreement with another councillor, Daniel Burcham, about a pub they own in the town.

The row is the latest to hit the authority after another councillor, Stephen Fraser, was charged with criminal damage following a bizarre late night incident last month in which a shop window was damaged.

Taila Taylor, who is deputy mayor of Attleborough and a close friend of Mr Fraser's, faced questions over the same incident after it emerged she had been present at the time but had not reported anything to the police.

Attleborough, in the Breckland district (Image: Denise Bradley)

THE BUSINESS DISPUTE

The social media row erupted in March after Mr Burcham and his husband Paul had their offer of a lease withdrawn from the Bear pub.

The couple were running the property for the Taylor family - who also own Attleborough's London Tavern - but left after........

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