Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
When a clerk resigns, the temptation is to move immediately to the recruitment advert.
That is understandable. Advertising the vacancy feels like progress. But before debating job titles, weekly hours and whether “competitive salary” conveys any useful information whatsoever, the council needs to secure its immediate position.
The first seven days should be about continuity, information and control. The council does not need to solve everything in a week, but it should finish the week knowing what needs to happen, who is responsible and where the important records are.
Day 1: Acknowledge the resignation
Confirm receipt of the resignation in writing and establish:
the contractual notice period;
the proposed final working day;
whether the clerk will continue working throughout the notice period;
any outstanding annual leave;
arrangements for returning council property and records;
who will manage the process on behalf of the council; and
whether specialist employment advice is required.
The resignation should be handled confidentially and professionally. It should not become the subject of informal discussion across several email chains, however efficiently councillors can press “reply all”.
Only those who need access to employment information should receive it. The wider council can be told what it needs to know without being given personal or sensitive details.
If the resignation follows a dispute, grievance, sickness absence, disciplinary process or other sensitive circumstances, obtain appropriate employment advice before taking further action.
Day 2: Secure the council’s information
Establish what council information, equipment and access credentials the clerk holds.
This may include:
council email accounts and shared mailboxes;
electronic folders and cloud storage;
paper records and minute books;
accounting and payroll systems;
online banking arrangements;
website and domain accounts;
social media profiles;
contracts, leases and insurance documents;
keys and council equipment;
contact lists;
current project files; and
records relating to complaints, information requests or disputes.
Council records belong to the council, but they must still be transferred and handled securely. Do not ask for every password to be emailed to every councillor. That replaces one continuity problem with a data security problem.
Ask the clerk to identify where records are held and how routine processes are managed. Knowing the password for the accounting system is helpful; knowing what needs to be done once inside it is considerably more helpful.
Where appropriate, arrange for credentials to be changed once access has been transferred.
Day 3: Confirm who holds the essential roles
Check the council’s resolutions, standing orders, financial regulations and scheme of delegation.
Establish who is currently appointed as:
Proper Officer;
Responsible Financial Officer;
payroll administrator;
administrator of the council’s website and email accounts; and
the main contact for employees, contractors and external organisations.
The clerk will often also be the Proper Officer and Responsible Financial Officer, but these are distinct responsibilities. They do not automatically transfer to the chair when the clerk resigns.
Enthusiasm, availability and possession of the stationery cupboard key are not substitutes for a formal appointment.
Identify which interim appointments or delegations the council needs to make and how those decisions can lawfully be taken. If there is uncertainty about who can convene the next meeting or issue the summons, seek advice promptly.
Day 4: Protect payroll and council finances
Employees and suppliers should not discover that the clerk has resigned through a missed payment.
Check:
the date of the next payroll run;
PAYE and pension arrangements;
outstanding invoices;
expected income;
direct debits and standing orders;
authorised bank signatories;
access to the accounting records;
payment approval procedures;
forthcoming VAT requirements; and
any approaching audit or year-end deadlines.
Continue to follow the council’s financial regulations and normal controls.
Temporary arrangements may change who performs a task, but they should not remove the separation between preparing, checking, approving and processing payments. One person should not be given unrestricted control of the entire process simply because it is convenient.
If the departing clerk is also the Responsible Financial Officer, the council should make explicit interim arrangements. The role should not be left technically vacant while its duties are informally performed by whichever councillor manages to locate the bank token.
Day 5: Map the deadlines and review forthcoming meetings
Create a calendar covering at least the next eight to twelve weeks.
Include:
council and committee meetings;
agenda and notice deadlines;
payroll and pension dates;
supplier payments;
planning consultation deadlines;
insurance renewals;
contract review or termination dates;
grant claims and project milestones;
statutory publication requirements;
audit and year-end dates; and
outstanding complaints, information requests or legal correspondence.
Do not rely solely on the council’s main calendar. Important dates may be sitting in the clerk’s inbox, committee papers, contracts or personal task list.
Parish council deadlines have a remarkable ability to remain completely invisible until shortly before they expire.
Review whether the next scheduled meeting can and should proceed. Consider:
whether there is an authorised Proper Officer;
whether the meeting can be convened correctly;
whether the required notice can be given;
whether urgent decisions are needed;
who will prepare the papers;
who will provide procedural advice; and
who will take and produce the minutes.
If the meeting goes ahead, keep the agenda focused on essential and time-sensitive business. A staffing transition is rarely improved by adding several policy reviews and a hopeful item entitled “Any Other Business”.
Day 6: Agree the handover and communications
If the clerk is working their notice, agree a structured handover timetable.
The handover should cover:
regular daily, monthly and annual tasks;
immediate priorities and deadlines;
unresolved council decisions;
active contracts and projects;
current financial work;
employee matters;
key external contacts;
outstanding correspondence;
known risks; and
the location of supporting records.
Do not simply request “a full handover” and assume that everybody shares the same understanding of what that means.
Arrange one or more handover meetings and keep a written action list. Prioritise operational knowledge that another person will need in order to maintain council business.
The council should also nominate a temporary contact and update its website, noticeboard and email arrangements where necessary.
Relevant organisations may need to be notified, including:
the principal authority;
the local county association;
auditors;
payroll and pension providers;
insurers;
banks;
contractors;
partner organisations; and
neighbouring councils.
Public communications should be short and factual. Confirm that the clerk is leaving, that council business continues and where correspondence should be sent. Avoid sharing private employment information or speculating about the reasons for the departure.
Day 7: Decide what happens next
By the end of the first week, the council should have enough information to decide what interim support is required.
Options may include:
temporarily reallocating work among existing employees;
obtaining limited assistance from another council;
appointing short-term administrative support;
engaging an experienced locum clerk; or
beginning the permanent recruitment process.
Do not assume that immediate recruitment is always the best first step.
If records are disorganised, the role has outgrown its contracted hours or the council is dealing with unresolved governance or employment issues, reproducing the previous job description may reproduce the previous problems.
Temporary professional support can give the council time to stabilise its operations, review what the role genuinely requires and conduct a considered recruitment exercise.
Before the week ends, prepare a short continuity plan recording:
the urgent tasks;
the person responsible for each task;
interim officer arrangements;
forthcoming meetings and deadlines;
financial responsibilities;
the handover timetable;
any external advice required;
the temporary communication route; and
when the arrangements will be reviewed.
Where the council should be after seven days
By the end of the first week, the council should have:
acknowledged and managed the resignation appropriately;
confirmed the clerk’s notice and working arrangements;
secured access to essential records and systems;
identified the Proper Officer and financial arrangements;
protected payroll and critical payments;
created a calendar of immediate deadlines;
reviewed forthcoming meetings;
agreed a structured handover;
established a temporary contact route; and
decided whether interim professional support is needed.
The council does not need to have appointed a new clerk within seven days. It does need to have moved from uncertainty to a controlled transition.
That is the difference between an organised vacancy and several well intentioned people simultaneously asking, “Does anyone know where the agenda template is?”
This article provides general guidance for parish and town councils in England. Employment circumstances vary, and councils should obtain appropriate advice where a resignation involves sickness, dispute, grievance, disciplinary action or another sensitive matter.
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