Our Story
About us
Founded in 1972, SLCC has gone from strength to strength, starting with just 50 members and now representing clerks to over 5,000 councils in England and Wales.
As the professional body for local council clerks and senior council employees, we ensure that our members are equipped with the necessary knowledge, training and skills to thrive within their role and best support their council and community.
Many councils understand the benefit of having a clerk who is trained, fully briefed on current issues within the sector and able to access accurate advice quickly. As such, 90% of our members’ councils pay for their clerks’ annual subscription, as encouraged by the Local Government Act 1972 s 143 (1) (b), ‘a local Authority may pay reasonable subscriptions, whether annually or otherwise, to the funds of any association of officers or members of local authorities which was so formed.’
Whether you seek expert advice, to develop your professional career or simply build relationships with your fellow clerks, we can offer you the support and recognition you deserve.
Chief Executive
Rob Smith was appointed SLCC’s Chief Executive in January 2017. He had previously held senior management roles in both public and private sectors in Britain and North America. He joined the SLCC from Great Western Railway where he was General Manager of the Eastern region. Prior to that Rob spent 12 years at Transport for London where he was a key member of the 2012 Olympic Games’ transport delivery team and was General Manager of the Victoria line during the delivery of the final phase of the line upgrade. Rob’s senior management career began in the North American cruise industry where he worked for a more than a decade for Carnival Corporation based in Miami, Florida.
As a senior leader, Rob, who holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration, has an impressive track record of leading cultural and organisational change in a wide variety of business contexts. Rob works under the direction of a Board of elected Directors and he leads a team of Heads of Service.
Chairman
Steve Trice has been Town Clerk of Haywards Heath Town Council for eleven years, previously working for principal authorities Mid Sussex District Council and Horsham District Council within the role strategic leisure planning, inward investment and Section 106 allocation along with a period of employment at Littlehampton Town Council.
Steve has led upon a number of innovative community initiatives including a bespoke Community Warden project and the management of a community highways cluster partnership and trains new Clerks in Sussex and Surrey. Currently Steve is a Member of the SLCC Board of Directors and is the Chairman of the Board
Steve is married to Lisa has two teenage daughters, enjoys playing football, cricket and trying to play golf along with being a Liverpool Football Club fanatic.
President 2021/22
Philip Peacock PSLCC is the current town clerk to Huntingdon Town Council and has been since 2014. Prior to joining Huntingdon Town Council, Philip was employed by BT Legal for 30 years, Cambridgeshire ACRE as village halls advisor, and secretary to the County Playing Fields Association for five years.
Philip was a parish councillor in his home village for 24 years, with 14 years as parish council chairman – during which time it won the Calor Village of the Year Award.
Since joining Huntingdon Town Council, the council’s role in the town has grown – with the transfer of the Cromwell Museum to the council, which saved it from closure, the construction of a new eco community hall at zero cost to the residents, and the construction of the town’s new crematorium and burial ground. This opened in October, with waste heat from the all-electric cremators being used to heat the adjoining council glasshouses which help with the production of the floral displays across the town.
The 2021/22 President Elect is Linda Carter FSLCC.
The next major projects being led by Philip include making the Grade II* listed Georgian town hall zero-carbon, by replacing the existing gas boiler with air source heating and installing secondary glazing. The 1880’s cricket pavilion and nets are also going to be replaced with a 21st century eco pavilion and incorporate an indoor eight-a-side cricket pitch.
Huntingdon Town Council is very civic minded, maintaining the traditions of the council, for which Philip, with his voluntary background as Chapter Steward to Ely Cathedral for ten years, is well suited. Since becoming town clerk, Huntingdon has enjoyed bestowing three Military Freedoms of the Town and two exiting Freedoms being exercised.
With Philip’s civic background, he delivers monthly webinars on Operation London Bridge for members, so local councils can be fully briefed and prepared.
Through his role as town clerk, Philip is also the Cambridgeshire Branch Chairman and its representative on the National Forum. Plus, he’s a Board Member to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Association of Local Councils, where he takes the lead on environment.
Philip is married to Carol. They have two sons and one daughter, along with three granddaughters.
The theme for Philip’s Presidential Year will be councils and climate change.
Philip’s email address is philip.peacock@slcc.co.uk
The President's Charities
The British Heart Foundation
The British Heart Foundation fund over £100 million of research each year into all heart and circulatory diseases and the things that cause them. Heart diseases. Stroke. Vascular dementia. Diabetes.
SLCC Educational Fund
The new SLCC charity dedicated to supporting clerks with their Community Governance qualification. The new charity will provide educational funding and support to clerks who are either new or existing students, to ultimately develop the professionalism of the sector.
Presidential Sponsors
Meet the team
Our team has a wealth of experience and are committed to providing outstanding customer service. Our Head Office is located in Taunton, Somerset with the team positioned across England and Wales.
The Local Government Sector
Local government touches the lives of everybody, every single day. It is responsible for a varied and wide range of local services vital for people, businesses and communities.
The structure of local government varies from area to area, and region to region but many parts of England have 3 tiers of local government.
Important dates in SLCC history
1972The beginning of SLCC
1973December – 510 members
19751st National Conference
1989A new look
