Find out more about your local town clerk

To mark the current Local Council Clerk Week, from July 10 – 14, Llangollen's own town clerk, Gareth Thomas, gives an insight into his job.

"The town clerk is the person who works with your councillors to make sure that Llangollen Town Council provides the services you need in your local neighbourhood.    

"He runs the council meetings to which you are invited and is skilled in a range of disciplines to make sure the council runs properly and within the law.

"Town clerks are the ones writing to your local AM, liaising with the county council about changes to speed limits, car parking charges and potholes, applying for grants for local projects, researching complex planning issues, running the council’s finances and managing community buildings and events. 

"Then they roll up their sleeves to lead volunteers to clean rivers, pick litter and fundraise for local projects.   They’re good in a crisis too as seen when they helped to coordinate community efforts during the pandemic. 

"Clerks are professionals and serve around 10,000 local councils in England and Wales. These councils emerged in 1894 to give a democratic voice to local people and they’ve changed enormously in that time, particularly during the last 20 – 30 years.  

"They are real place shapers and, today, many manage and maintain parks, sports facilities, skateparks and recreation grounds, play areas, allotments, community and youth centres, car parks, public toilets, cemeteries, street cleaning, run events and much more.  Most of all clerks and councillors are advocates, the voice for their communities.

"Whatever your local council is delivering for your community, the clerk will be at the heart of getting it done.  They provide the services that we all notice the most in our neighbourhoods but, disappointingly, they’re often not properly recognised for just how much they do. 

"Clerks are celebrated in other countries and Local Council Clerk Week aims to help raise the profile of this important profession and explain the work clerks do on behalf of town, parish and community councils."

* For more information, contact Gareth Thomas at: townclerk@llangollentowncouncil.gov.uk