Our Story
About us
Founded in 1972, the 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.
Click here to read more on the governance of SLCC.
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
Michael King has been Town Clerk of Barnard Castle in County Durham and a member of the SLCC since 2012. He was elected Vice Chair of the Board at its first meeting in 2017 and served in that role for two years, before being elected Chair in January 2019.
He graduated from Newcastle University in 1987 with a BSc (Hons) in the Science of Engineering Materials and has worked in research, public policy and managerial positions in the public and private sectors. Michael holds an MBA and is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.
Michael is an experienced strategic and service manager with specialist skills in corporate governance and administration, strategic management, and performance improvement. Prior to becoming a town clerk, he worked in upper tier authorities, the NHS and public sector consultancy. He has also served on the boards of a number of companies and charities including chairing two Multi-Academy Trusts between 2011 and 2018.
President 2019/20
Linda Larter MBE FSLCC is the Chief Executive / Town Clerk to Sevenoaks Town Council and a Fellow of the SLCC Professional Development Scheme (PDS).
Linda has been a clerk since 1990, working for councils with population ranging from 250 to 80,000 plus. These varied size councils have provided the experience of working as the only member of staff and in positions managing a large team.
In 2000 Linda was nominated by the Millennium Commission for an MBE for raising funds and completion of a Community Centre.
Linda studied through to degree level with the then Cheltenham and Gloucester College which she considers an invaluable experience providing her with the confidence to take on more ambitious ideas and developments for the councils she worked for.
After completing the degree Linda was Chairman of the former Local Policy Graduate Association, in this position she campaigned for the Local Policy qualification to be accepted within the Quality Council scheme.
The 2019/20 President Elect is Philip Peacock PSLCC, Huntingdon Town Council.
Linda has been involved with NALC over many years, sitting on committees and attending talks with government ministers and civil servants to lobby for our sector, not least the need for stability in relation to ongoing consideration of precept capping. Linda’s theme for her year will be to promote the profession of clerks. Most clerks do not have the support departments that officers have in other sectors of local government and yet again and again they are delivering more diverse services in a professional manner, regardless of their size of council.
Linda has been married for 38 years to Andrew (most know him as Chippy) and have two sons. For many years she was heavily involved in charity work and some of the campaigns that she was most proud of was for the removal of postcode lottery for cancer referrals and obtaining commitment from government for these to be within two weeks, also for Herceptin to be available for all. Linda was a member of the APPG for Cancer and one of the achievements was for bowel cancer screenings to be lowered to age of 55. Linda was also involved in helping young people obtaining funding via the Princes Trust.
Linda’s email address is linda.larter@slcc.co.uk
The President's Charities
Breast Cancer Now
Formed by the merger of Breast Cancer Care and Breast Cancer Now. A charity that’s steered by world-class research and powered by life-changing care for anyone affected by breast cancer.
Mencap
Mencap is the leading voice of learning disability. Everything they do is about valuing and supporting people with a learning disability, and their families and carers. Their vision is a world where people with a learning disability are valued equally, listened to and included.
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
