Council support and consultancy — for councils that have a clerk
Clerk Assist provides temporary consultancy and additional capacity to parish and town councils that have a clerk but need an experienced second pair of hands, an independent review, or a defined piece of work done. On a one-off, short-term or project basis, alongside the council’s existing officers. Norfolk-based, able to travel, and able to work remotely.
A vacancy is not the only reason to bring someone in. These are the usual ones.
A backlog, a project or a busy year that will not fit into the contracted hours, and no case for a second post.
Governance, procedure, policies or finance reviewed by someone who is not the clerk and not a councillor.
Records, policies, registers or finances that have drifted, or depend on one individual, and need putting in order.
Reorganisation, a new hall or asset transfer, a large project, a consultation, or a run of councillor changes.
Role review, job descriptions, recruitment and induction, without buying a national consultancy package.
First budget, first AGAR, first contentious meeting — mentoring and handover that shortens the learning year.
Who holds what, what happens if the clerk is unavailable tomorrow, and a written arrangement the council has actually adopted.
Working arrangements have broken down and the council needs the statutory business kept moving while it is resolved.
Sometimes the council does not need a locum at all. It needs a piece of work completed, an independent view, or an experienced practitioner to work alongside its existing officers.
Some councils need temporary support because ordinary working arrangements have broken down: a staffing dispute, a grievance or disciplinary process, a period of rapid councillor change, a difficult handover, or governance and administration that have become confused.
Clerk Assist provides practical, independent support focused on keeping the authority functioning — separating urgent statutory work from longer-term issues, restoring workable systems and helping the council decide what should happen next.
Where specialist employment, data-protection, litigation, accountancy or other regulated advice is required, we identify that need and work alongside the council’s appointed specialist. Good support includes knowing when a matter sits outside ordinary clerking and governance — and saying so.
There is no price list. Fees are quoted according to the role, the council and the level of support required, following an initial consultation and discussion of the council’s specific needs.
The initial consultation and scoping discussion are free. It costs nothing to find out whether we can help.
Yes. Council support is for councils that are not short of a clerk but are short of hours, of an independent view, or of a particular skill for a defined piece of work. It sits alongside the existing clerk, deputy or office team rather than replacing them.
Governance and procedural reviews; policies, standing orders, financial regulations and delegated authority; staffing structures, job descriptions and recruitment support; business continuity and resilience planning; records, transparency and information management; financial controls, budgeting and audit readiness; projects, consultations and asset transfers; and support through contentious or difficult periods.
We provide practical, independent support focused on keeping the authority functioning: separating the urgent statutory work from the longer-term issue, keeping records straight and helping the council decide what should happen next. Where specialist employment, data-protection or other regulated advice is required, we identify that need and work alongside the council’s appointed specialist rather than treating every issue as a clerking issue.
Scope first. We agree in writing what the work is, what it is not, the priorities, who the council’s point of contact is and what authority the work carries. That protects the council’s public funds and gives the internal auditor a clear trail.
There is no price list. Fees are quoted according to the role, the council and the level of support required, following an initial consultation and discussion of the council’s specific needs. The initial consultation and scoping discussion are free — it costs nothing to find out whether we can help. A defined piece of work is usually quoted as a fixed fee; ongoing capacity as hours or days.
Yes. Handover, mentoring and practical support for a clerk in their first year — the first budget, the first AGAR, the first difficult meeting — is some of the most useful work a council can buy, and it is usually short.
No. Council support and the Clerk Assist system are offered separately. A council can have either without the other. Where a longer piece of work would plainly go faster inside the system, we may suggest running a temporary Clerk Assist seat for the council for the period — at no extra charge, with no obligation to continue afterwards, and decided situation by situation.
Parish and town councils in England, of any size. Clerk Assist is Norfolk-based, travels where attendance matters, and does much review and document work remotely.
Email [email protected] with a phone number and a good time, and we will ring you.
No clerk at all? Short-notice cover is a separate page.
Locum coverPage reviewed 16 October 2026.