I am pleased and proud to have been selected and appointed (as of 1st September 2025) to be the first permanent Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer of Lytham Town Council.
Although this is my first post as a Town / Parish Clerk, I bring with me a breadth and depth of experiences from a full career in public service. Having met some members of the community at Lytham Town Council's meeting in August I will already have had a chance to personally introduce myself.
Hopefully I will get to meet more of you in my role.
I did wonder whether for some people reading this page, whether they might wonder what the job of a Clerk entails, so I thought it would be useful for myself and hopefully others to draw up a summary of what the job - and the two specific roles which make it up - actually is.
I hope that this is interesting and helpful.
The Role of the Town Clerk here in Lytham includes the two functions of being the 'Proper Officer' and the 'Responsible Financial Officer'
Every parish and town council must employ a Clerk, who is the council’s Proper Officer under law (this is covered in Section 112 of the Local Government Act 1972).
Similarly, every council must also appoint an officer to administer the finances of the council and ensure that all legislation is met with regards to this public money and this officer is known as the Responsible Financial Officer.
The Clerk is the council’s senior officer and for most smaller councils is often also the Responsible Financial Officer (RFO) and this is how it is structured here in Lytham.
Think of the Clerk as the council’s chief executive and adviser — someone who ensures that decisions are legal, fair, and carried out properly, while also being the main link between the council and the community.
Why does the Clerk’s Role Matters? Why does it exist?
The Clerk makes sure the council’s work is done professionally and transparently.
They are not just an administrator — they provide independent and expert advice to councillors, ensuring decisions are legal, practical and in the best interests of residents.
They are the main contact point for the community, receiving correspondence, sharing information, and ensuring residents’ voices are heard.
They keep the council accountable by preparing agendas, writing accurate minutes, and publishing information so the public can follow decisions.
What will the Clerk being doing?
The Clerk’s responsibilities cover a wide range of duties, including:
Supporting councillors with legal, financial, and procedural advice.
Managing council meetings – preparing and publishing agendas, recording unbiased minutes, and ensuring actions are followed up.
Handling communications – being the contact for residents, community groups, and partner organisations.
Managing the Town Council website.
Overseeing services – ensuring issues like safety in play areas (if these are within the responsibility of the Town Council) are dealt with quickly, without waiting for the next meeting.
Managing finances (as the RFO):
Preparing the annual budget, quarterly reports and ensuring that the precept requests are submitted professionally.
Making sure spending is legal and transparent.
Keeping proper financial records for audit.
The Clerk and the Community
Today’s Clerk is a professional officer – trained, qualified, and fairly paid – it is not a volunteer role, nor is it a Councilllor's role. Their independence is crucial: they work for the council as a whole, not for individual councillors, and ensure that public money is managed responsibly.
By law, some decisions can be delegated to the Clerk so that the council can respond quickly to local needs, for example:
Arranging urgent repairs in public spaces.
Responding to straightforward planning applications.
Authorising small day-to-day purchases to keep the council running smoothly.
In Summary
The Town Clerk is:
The professional officer making sure your council follows the law.
The adviser helping councillors make good decisions.
The financial officer ensuring public money is spent properly.
The link between the council and the community.
In short, the Clerk is there to help the council serve its residents better.