As the Council's statutory Proper Officer, the Clerk is the key to success of each Parish or Town Council.

The work of the Clerk has become more onerous in recent years, requiring a professional and motivated individual to provide advice and support to the Council.

The new bespoke Certificate in Local Council Administration (CiLCA) is the recognised qualification for Clerks, satisfying one of the tests for Quality Parish Status.

CALC recommends the professional salary structure and employment contract that has been negotiated at national level. We offer benchmarking support to ensure that each Clerk is appropriately valued relative to the needs of each Parish and Town. CALC provides assistance to member Councils in the recruitment process and ongoing objective evaluation.

It is not unusual for an individual to serve as Clerk to several Parish Councils. This has benefits for each Council concerned, in terms of shared training and development costs, and the fact that many issues will be shared.

Clerks can often feel isolated and therefore need support mechanisms and opportunities. Member Clerks receive a deal of support fom CALC and are invited to quarterly Clerks Gatherings where they can share experiences and have professional briefings from experienced practitioners.

New member Clerks are offered special support from our experienced Development Support Officer, and our training programme is tailored to the needs of individual Clerks.

CALC encourages County and District to involve Clerks in officer discussions on delivery issues affecting parishes and towns.

There is a defra bursary scheme to assist with training costs for small Parish Councils

CALC offers fee advertising for member Councils where a vacancy fo a Clerk occurs.

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