What's on the agenda?

In this episode we sit down with Gina Lopes PSLCC, the 2024/25 SLCC President, following a historic election aspresident, and re-election as a director of SLCC on the same day. Gina shows her readiness to undertake the demanding nature of her new role, expressing her enthusiasm for the chance to visit as many branches as possible, and raise the profile of clerks globally through meeting international counterparts.Gina also takes us through her career from how she got into clerking over 20 years ago, to now being President of SLCC, and provides insights into her chosen charities, White Ribbon UK, and the SLCC Educational Trust.

In this episode we talk to Steve Trice PSLCC, SLCC Director and Clerk to Haywards Heath Town Council, Sharron Jones FSLCC, SLCC Director and Clerk to Hawarden Community Council, Gina Lopes PSLCC, SLCC President, SLCC Director and Clerk to Stoke Ferry Parish Council, and Adam Keppel-Green FSLCC, SLCC Chair and Clerk to Knutsford Town Council, about the White Ribbon campaign, how it fits into SLCC's broader mission, and why it is such an important cause to support.The White Ribbon campaign promotes an end to violence against women and girls. In this episode we learn about SLCC’s action plan and the ongoing work to communicate and engage with members about the campaign. Using personal anecdotes, we learn about the campaign's potential to effect positive behavioural change and achieve gender equality in local government and beyond.

In this episode, Michael King, SLCC’s Head of Policy and External Communications speaks to Lisa Garcia, Town Clerk of Florence, Arizona USA and IIMC President, Chris Shalby, IIMC Executive Director, Linda Larter, Clerk to Sevenoaks Town Council and IIMC Region XI Director, and Arnout van Kooij, Griffier (Clerk) to the municipality of IJsselstein in the Netherlands and IIMC Region XI Director who share insights into the world of clerking from an international perspective, describing the evolving roles, challenges, and gratification of the profession.Lisa Garcia, IIMC President, also speaks on her journey towards presidency and goals to promote the clerk’s profession and ensure transparency in government.The role of IIMC and its regional structure, specifically Region 11, is elaborated by Linda and Arnout as Region XI Directors who share their experiences of clerking and how the role differs and is portrayed internationally.

In this episode we talk to Sandra Lowe, Communications & Engagement, and Khidr Suleman, Domains’ Governance Lead, from the Parish Council Domains Helper Service Project Team at the Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO). This initiative aims to help councils in migrating to .gov.uk domains and provides benefits such as enhanced credibility and security. Sandra and Khidr outline common challenges such as cost and technical expertise while explaining how the service guides clerks through every step, from choosing the right domain registrar, to setting up and maintaining the domain. With cost being a challenge for many councils we also hear about how the Cabinet Office has secured finite funding of up to £100 + VAT to help eligible parish councils offset the initial cost of setting up a .gov.uk domain.