A Tasmanian councillor has announced her resignation live on radio, saying ongoing "personal attacks" and social media harassment have taken "too much" of a toll.

Key points: Rachel Power has resigned from the Derwent Valley Council citing pressures from the public

Rachel Power has resigned from the Derwent Valley Council citing pressures from the public Other councillors from around the state have rallied around her, saying local councillors aren't professional politicians and don't enjoy the same protections as state and federal counterparts

Other councillors from around the state have rallied around her, saying local councillors aren't professional politicians and don't enjoy the same protections as state and federal counterparts Dean Winter from Tasmania's Kingborough Council called on the State Government to make changes to the local government code of conduct

Rachel Power was elected to the Derwent Valley Council — which takes in an area west of Hobart — in last year's November election, but said that after 11 months she had had enough.

"It's time for me to walk away," she told ABC Radio Hobart.

Sorry, this audio has expired Online abuse forces Tasmanian Councillor to walk away from local government after just a year

"There's been a number of personal attacks from people that I didn't expect it from.

"It's one thing to read what people say about council, it's another thing to see what they say about you personally."

The Derwent Valley Council has been the subject of ongoing community and media interest, amid claims it is "far from functional".

Police have been called to four of the council's meetings this year, and in August, council staff wrote a letter to the general manager urging him to ban the Mayor from council chambers and prevent him from "directing staff".

At the time, Derwent Valley Mayor Ben Shaw disagreed with the claims and said he was not aware of any instances where he or other councillors had directed staff.

But Ms Power said it was members of the community who were "pulling the council group apart".

"The public wants blood, they want people to be sacked, they want people to resign, they want people out," she said.

"The toll's not worth it."

'Not professional politicians'

Other councillors around the state have rallied around Ms Power, saying councillors lacked the resources to deal with community pressures associated with their public positions and were inadequately protected under the Local Government Act.

Dean Winter, the mayor of Kingborough, south of Hobart, called on the State Government to intervene.

He said unlike state and federal politicians, councillors had no advisers, drivers or other staff, and were very accessible to the public.

"These are not professional politicians," Cr Winter said.

"They have a day job and they have families and a life well and truly outside of the political bubble.

"It's about being respectful and understanding that people are signing up to do these roles for very little money and they're doing it because they love their community and they want to do the right thing for it."

Dean Winter says councillors are not professional politicians and do not get the same protections as their state and federal counterparts. ( ABC News: Lucy MacDonald )

In Tasmania, councillors' salaries range from $9,546 to $37,198, depending on the council, with additional allowances for deputy mayors and mayors.

Huon Valley councillor Mike Wilson, who has been in local government for 17 years, said he had considered quitting, referencing social media posts.

Cr Wilson, who had lived in the Huon Valley, south of Hobart, for 69 years, said he had now moved away.

"It gets to a stage [where] it starts to affect your life," he said. "We're not getting paid $150,000, $200,000 a year; we're getting, as a councillor, around about $15,000 per year, so we don't do it for the money.

"[The social media abuse] is phenomenal, it's ongoing, it never stops. "But when it starts to affect your partner, it's not good and I won't tolerate this sort of thing."

Code of conduct is 'broken'

Ms Power said one of the hardest things during her time on council was seeing commentary on social media and being unable to respond due to the code of conduct councillors must abide by.

"We can't stop those lies with truth and we're not getting any support from people … we've asked the Local Government Director [and] Minister to step in and sort this out," she said.

"Stop leaving it to us to defend ourselves when we need the support of those who are there to protect us."

Tasmania's Local Government Act, which includes its code of conduct, is currently under review by the State Government.

In a statement, Minister for Local Government Mark Shelton said it was "disappointing to hear when hardworking councillors feel like they need to step down".

"Bullying and harassment on social media and other online platforms is unacceptable and it is important that everyone in the community is mindful of the importance of raising concerns and issues in a respectful manner."

Mr Shelton said he had spoken with former councillor Rachel Power on Wednesday and "wished her all the best for her future".

Alex Tay, the Director of Local Government, said in a statement he "acknowledged and sympathised with Cr Power's circumstance".

"I have had discussions about the issue of cyber bullying with Derwent Valley Council members and other Tasmanian councils previously. I have provided advice and reference materials to a number of Councils regarding managing unreasonable complainant conduct."

Mr Tay said it was "important to note that the Director of Local Government has no power to control community members' behaviour when interacting with councillors".

"In particular, where councillors use personal social media accounts, the Local Government legislative framework does not allow for the State Government to regulate or discipline third parties."

"I understand LGAT is working on providing training resources on social media use for elected representatives. My office is happy to work with LGAT on this issue going forward."