It would appear that Stubton Parish Council think they no longer require a Parish Clerk.
This is the response I received from the Temporary Clerk (Jenny Taylor) today (24 September 2024), asking about my application I sent in months ago:
The Council is not inviting applications for Clerk at present. If this situation changes we will release the information through the Parish Council website and noticeboard.
This information is at odds with the following minuted statements from the Parish Council and official NALC & LALC guidance. Someone within the Council does not know the requirements of local government.
Item 6 of the January 2024 Minutes states:
6.0 Clerking arrangements update for information; The position of Clerk remains vacant. The Chair emphasized the imperative for Councillors to actively promote the vacancy. In response, the Vice Chair and Acting Clerk inquired about the possibility of SKDC promoting the position. Cllr Penny Milnes asserted that promotion primarily occurs through LALC, emphasising the scarcity of available Clerks.
Item 6 of the May 2024 Minutes states:
6. Parish Clerk – Plans to appoint a Clerk are ongoing and the post is expected to be filled in September. No further information was given.
Appendix of the June 2024 Minutes States:
Clerk £800 reserved for wages.
I thought it wise to enlighten the village that the PC believes a Clerk is no longer required after I applied for the position (without a salary). Come on……… someone apply and my guess you will be successful.
The document below is a NALC publication. I bring your attention to this paragraph under the Clerk title:
In an emergency (e.g. to cover a temporary vacancy) a councillor may fulfil the role of clerk to the local council (this must be unpaid (see below)). However, it is not good practice for councillors to do this on anything other than a very temporary basis as it confuses officer/councillor roles.
