Homepage of the Cornwall Branch of the Society of Local Council Clerks

Update following the recent National SLCC Conference and NEC at Coventry

John Arthur from Peterlee Town Council (County Durham) was elected President at the AGM during the National Conference. Trina Jarrett from Sidmouth Town Council (Devon) was elected President Elect 2008/09 at the AGM during the National Conference.
Bryan Metcalf was awarded in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the progress of the Society and to the Clerk's Profession. Bryan Metcalf collected the Myrna Liles trophy on behalf of the North Yorkshire branch for having the greatest increase in members during 2007. Bethan Osborne, the Society's HR Advisor, was awarded in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the progress of the Society and to the Clerk's Profession - any Members who have had dealings with Bethan will realise that this is richly deserved. Janet Haines was awarded the John Crompton cup for her mentoring work.
The major initiatives affecting the sector are the launch of Continuous Professional Development - Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for Local Councils and the Institute - The Institute of Local Council Managed (ILCM) which will considerably help drive up professionalism in the sector. There is much more information available from the links and I am happy to discuss at a future Branch Meeting. I would urge all Members in the County to work on CPD even if they do not feel that the Institute is appropriate for them at the present time. CPD is the norm in many professions and helps in demonstrating a commitment to ongoing learning/training which not only keeps the clerk's own skill base up to date, but also improves the corporate governance of your Council. This all sounds much more onerous than it is as we are all doing many of these things already in our working lives and this just formalises/documents the process. As the full brochure will show there are lots of opportunities to get CPD points. It is hoped that the Institute will achieve Chartered status within ten years, which will bring the profession the respect and credibility enjoyed by other professions with a Royal Charter.
The New Clerk Support project including 'The Essential Clerk' was also launched at the National Conference. Please do your bit for this by advising Ian Purchase at membership@slcc.co.uk and Helen Hyland, our Branch Secretary, of any new clerks in your area, with as many of the contact details as possible.

Regards

Paul

Paul O'Callaghan, NEC Representative.