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The SLCC was founded during a lunchtime breakout session at a National Association of Local Councils (NALC) Conference in the basement of Westminster Hall on Saturday 2nd November 1972. Originally, there were just under 50 members working as a ‘self-support’ group.

An update on the Membership figures at the time, membership of the SLCC stands at 510.

The first National Conference was held in Scarborough

SLCC introduced a new logo on membership magazine which was then called ‘The Journal’

In 2001, the National Executive Council’s decision to appoint professional officers and to invest in new services resulted in the SLCC growing rapidly and membership increase to the point where members now serve over 5,000 councils.

As member services increased it was determined that about 5% of those activities were deemed to be “trade union” activities, principally (a) providing employment advice to members in dispute with their councils and supporting them at internal hearings; and (b) from time to time working with the National Association of Local Councils and One Voice Wales to agree the model contract of employment or other national terms and conditions. Because SLCC provided these services, the Certification Officer included SLCC on the schedule to the List of Trade Unions as a body which the Certification Officer considered to be a trade union. SLCC was accordingly obliged to comply with the legislation on trade unions, including the need for its National Executive Council and its Chief Executive to be elected by ballot of all members.

However, SLCC was never affiliated to the TUC, nor did it have any political affiliations or take part in the annual pay bargaining for local government employees. Whilst SLCC had received renewed legal advice that it was lawful for councils to pay the subscriptions to a professional body which was also a trade union, its National Executive Council (NEC) has been considering for some time the potential risk to the SLCC’s financial future should some councils decide or be persuaded not to pay such subscriptions in the future.

By January 2016 it had also become clear that the need for the Chief Executive to be elected, with no certainty of the result, was a major impediment to encouraging a wide range of applications for position which was vacant at that time. NEC therefore decided to bring forward consideration of the proposed constitutional changes to establish SLCC as a purely professional body and at the same time create a new body, the Association of Local Council Clerks (ALCC) an independent trade union representing the interests of senior officers in the local council sector. Following the implementation of these changes the Certification Officer withdrew SLCC from the schedule of Trade Unions.

February 2016 saw the launch of the ‘Your SLCC’ the new way to renew or apply for membership, book events and log CPD points online. The innovation was a step towards improving members experience by making introducing a convenient, self-service website.

Following a resolution carried unanimously at the National Conference in October 2016, the SLCC became a limited company on 25 January 2017, with a Board of Directors replacing the former National Executive Council.

The SLCC is a vibrant and focussed organisation which helps local council officers not only to continue, but to develop and grow professionally and so be able to better serve their councils and the communities they support. The formation of the Professional Development Scheme (Fellow and Principal members) and the building of a comprehensive Continuous Professional Development (CPD) structure has further raised the profile of a profession which now plays an increasingly significant role in the local council sector.