11/06/2026
Empowering change: The people who make local democracy work - every day, everywhere
It’s Local Council Clerk Week (LCCW) 2026 8 - 12 June 2026
A dedicated week to celebrate and recognise the incredible work clerks do for their communities.
Local councils (parish, town and community councils) have been part of the fabric of local life since 1894. Today they are dynamic, community-led bodies working at street-and-village level - often where national policy meets real life. They are part of the bedrock of neighbourhood governance. They manage and protect local spaces, help convene conversations, and deliver practical projects that residents can see and use. In England and Wales, clerks are the trained professionals who enable this work: advising councillors, guiding decision-making, ensuring transparency, and supporting councils to meet their legal duties while staying focused on the needs of local people.
In practice, that can mean:
• helping secure funding for a new skatepark, youth provision or warm community space
• coordinating civic events, commemorations and community celebrations
• steering councils through complex legislation, procurement and employment responsibilities
• supporting local volunteering and partnerships - often the difference between an idea and a finished project
• protecting important public assets and the public purse through clear governance, good records and accountable decisions
In England, a renewed focus of devolution is casting a spotlight on the role that parish and town councils play in grounding democratic participation in their individual communities.
Jo Duffy, Clerk at Nailsea Town Council says "After 22 years of being a clerk, I still find the job challenging, exciting, diverse and with no two days the same and I still enjoy the job."
