JOB DESCRIPTION – OSMINGTON PARISH CLERK
(November 2004)
Overall Responsibilities
The Clerk to the Council will be the Proper Officer of the Council and as such is under a statutory duty to carry out all the functions, and in particular to serve or issue all the notifications required by law of a local authority's Proper Officer. The Clerk will be totally responsible for ensuring that the instructions of the Council in connection with its function as a Local Authority are carried out. The Clerk is expected to advise the Council on, and assist in the formation of, overall policies to be followed in respect of the Authority's activities and in particular to produce all the information required for making effective decisions and to implement constructively all decisions. The person appointed will be accountable to the Council for the effective management of all its resources and report to them as and when required. The Clerk will be the Responsible Financial Officer and responsible for all the financial records of the Council and the careful administration of its finances.
Specific Responsibilities
1. To ensure that legal statutory and other provisions governing or affecting the running of the Council are observed
2. To monitor and balance the Council’s accounts and prepare records for audit purposes and VAT.
3. To ensure Council’s obligations are properly met.
4. To prepare, in consultation with appropriate members, agendas for meetings of the Council and its committees. To attend such meetings and prepare minutes for approval.
5. To receive correspondence and documents on behalf of the Council and to deal with the correspondence or documents or bring such items to the attention of the Council. To issue correspondence as a result of the instructions of, or the known policy of, the Council.
6. To receive and report on invoices for goods and services to be paid for by the Council and to ensure such accounts are met. To issue invoices on behalf of the Council for goods and Services to ensure payment is received.
7. To study reports and other data on activities of the Council and on matters bearing on those activities. Where appropriate, to discuss such matters with administrators and specialists in particular fields.
8. To draw up, both on his own initiative and as a result of suggestions by Councillors, proposals for consideration by the Council and to advise on practicability and the likely effects of specific courses of action.
9. To undertake all necessary activities in connection with the management of salaries and conditions and extent of employment of staff.
10. To monitor the implemented policies of the Council to ensure they are achieving the desired result and where appropriate suggest modifications.
11. To act as the representative of the Council as required.
Chairman …………………………………. Date ………………………………