Presidents Blog

John Arthur was elected President of the Society of Local Council Clerks for 2007/2008 at the National Conference in Coventry in October 2007. He is Town Clerk of Peterlee, in County Durham.

John joined Peterlee Town Council in 1996, having spent 27 years with various Departments of Durham County Council, including Education, Estates, Planning, and Architects. When he left Durham, John was the Principal Administrative Officer in the Land and Property Department.

Peterlee is a new town in the East of County Durham, designated in 1948. The Council was originally set up in 1956 and took Town Council status in 1974. The Council is a Band C Council, one of the 41 Group with an annual expenditure around £2 million pounds.

John holds the Diploma in Municipal Administration, and was Student of the Year in his year group.

Married to Lynne for 32 years, the couple live in the village of East Rainton, midway between Durham and Sunderland. They have two grown up daughters, who both work in the public sector.

John’s interests include gardening and DIY (much to Lynne’s horror). As a lifelong Sunderland Football Club supporter, John believes this has given him his forever optimistic approach to life with a high pain threshold.

John can be contacted on his email at clerk@peterlee.gov.uk and has asked if any branch would like him to visit during his year of office, could they contact him as soon as possible.