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Town Clerk

Deborah Sarson

Deborah Sarson joined the Council as Town Clerk in January 2006. She came from a Local Government background having spent the previous five years as Clerk to the Parish Council in the village where she lived. During that time, she successfully spearheaded a project to provide a community green open space, and oversaw the development of a Parish Plan, achieving external funding for both projects.

Deborah originates from New Zealand, where she trained as a Registered Nurse. She left New Zealand in 1994 and spent three and a half months backpacking across America en-route to England for the traditional young Kiwi's 'Overseas Experience'. Starting out in London as an agency carer, she spent the next couple of years working and travelling before moving to Suffolk where she settled in 1996. She lives with her son and spends her spare time being a mum, socialising, reading and travelling.

Since joining Diss Town Council she has overseen a number of projects including the redecoration of the Assembly Hall in the Corn Hall and cleaning and repairs to the stone facade of the building; improvements in the Park; installation of the railings in Madgett's Walk and summer bedding planting scheme; overseen the 2007 Christmas Lights display; development of the plans and seeking funding for the new play scheme in the Park; development of a brief for the Park Regeneration Project; brought the Council into line with current legislation on Health and Safety with regard to its employees and property; introduced staff uniforms; been involved in the Cittaslow project; helped to organise Diss Carnival; restructured the Council's committee system; and, been involved in the development of the Town Council website, amongst others. She has also worked hard to develop good working relationships with South Norfolk Council, Norfolk County Council and community groups in the town in order to ensure the Council can best represent the needs of the community to these higher tier authorities.

She is currently working toward achieving her Certificate in Local Council Administration. This is one of the last hurdles before the Town Council can achieve Quality Parish Status, which it is hoped will be achieved in the very near future.

She can be contacted at the Town Council offices.

Overall Responsibilities

The Town Clerk is 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 Town Clerk will be totally responsible for ensuring that the instructions of the Council in connection with its functions as a Local Authority are carried out.

The Town 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 will report to them as and when required.

In effect, the Town Clerk’s role is equivalent to that of Chief Executive.

Specific Responsibilities

1. To ensure that statutory and other provisions governing or affecting the running of the Council are observed.
2. To monitor the work of the designated Responsible Financial Officer who has responsibility for monitoring and balancing the Council's accounts and prepare records for audit purposes and VAT.
3. To ensure that the Council's obligations for Risk Assessment are properly met.
4. To prepare, in consultation with appropriate members, agendas for meetings of the Council and Committees. To attend such meetings and to oversee the preparation of the minutes of those meetings for approval.
5. To attend all meetings of the Council and all meetings of its committees and sub-committees, other than where such duties have been delegated by the Council to another Officer.
6. 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 instructions of, or with reference to the known policy of the Council.
7. 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 ensure that invoices on behalf of the Council for goods and services are issued and to ensure payment is received.
8. 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 and to produce reports for circulation and discussion by the Council and or its Committees.
9. To draw up both on his/her own initiative and as a result of suggestions by Councillors, proposals for consideration by the Council and to advise on practicability and likely effects of specific courses of action.
10. To supervise other members of staff as their line manager in keeping with the policies of the Council and to undertake all necessary activities in connection with the management of salaries, conditions of employment and work of other staff.
11. To monitor the implemented policies of the Council to ensure they are achieving the desired result and where appropriate, suggest modifications.
12. To act as the representative of the Council as required.
13. To issue notices and prepare agendas and minutes for the Parish Meeting: to attend the assemblies of the Parish Meeting and to implement the decisions made at the assemblies that are agreed by the Council.
14. To prepare, in consultation with the Town Mayor, press releases about the activities of, or decisions of, the Council.
15. To attend training courses or seminars on the work and role of the Clerk as required by the Council.
16. To act as Designated Premises Supervisor and a Personal License holder for the Corn Hall and any other premises for which the Council may seek to obtain a premises license.
17. To act as Clerk to the Trustees of the Diss Surveyors Allotment Charities, of which all Town Councillors are Trustees.
18. To work towards the achievement of the status of Qualified Clerk as a minimum requirement for effectiveness in the position of Clerk to the Council.
19. To continue to acquire the necessary professional knowledge required for the efficient management of the affairs of the Council: Suggested is membership of your professional body The Society of Local Council Clerks.
20. To attend the Conferences of the National Association of Local Councils, Society of Local Council Clerks, and other relevant bodies, as a representative of the Council as required.