Clerks Seminar

Join sector leader Adam Keppel‑Green FLSCC, Chair of the SLCC Board and experienced Town and Parish Clerk for his talk on Roles & Responsibilities

Stepping into the role of Clerk means stepping into the heart of local governance, where clarity, confidence, and strong professional boundaries are essential. During this talk, “Strengthen Your Leadership: Understanding the Clerk’s Key Roles & Responsibilities,” you’ll be guided by Adam Keppel‑Green FSLCC, an experienced Town and Parish Clerk and current Chair of the SLCC Board. Drawing on more than a decade of sector leadership, Adam will unpack the core functions and expectations that shape effective clerking today. This insightful talk will help you deepen your understanding of the role, enhance your decision‑making, and strengthen the leadership foundations that enable you to support your council with assurance and authority

Plate Spinning 101 – Planned Chaos or Reactive stress?

As Clerks, our role can be many things; researcher, author, cleaner, leader, financial planner (and that’s just a Monday morning).

How can we prioritise ourselves when so many other things demand our attention? And how can we support each other, especially when things get tough.

Steve McNay spent 20 years working in wellbeing services before making the move into local government. Having managed mental health charities, as well as training as a trainer, Steve aims to make his sessions accessible, informative and fun. The current Bucks and MK ‘Clerk of the Year’ and clerk to Woughton Community Council, Steve oversees a wide range of services, a £1.3 million budget, 19 councillors and a team of 30 officers. Steve also chairs a local sustainability charity and is a sucker for a pub quiz.

Christian has extensive experience supporting a wide range of clients, including Councils, charities and private sector organisations. With over 15 years’ experience across the private and third sectors, he has worked with organisations of all sizes, including well-known high-street names.

Christian brings broad HR expertise, from supporting Councils and Councillors with strategic organisational reviews to advising managers on complex employee relations cases. His approach focuses on identifying practical, proportionate solutions that balance organisational needs with all relevant considerations. Over the past five years, he has worked closely with Town and Parish Councils across the UK, supporting them through a wide range of challenges and opportunities.

 He also has significant experience in recruitment, supporting the appointment of high-quality candidates at both senior and operational levels. In addition, Christian has extensive experience in training delivery, workshop facilitation and coaching managers, and has previously delivered management apprenticeships to organisations across the UK.

 Currently, Christian leads and supports a team of seven HR professionals based across the country, from Gateshead to Lancing. He is passionate about enabling the team to deliver consistently high-quality services to clients, building strong, long-term relationships and ensuring the right outcomes are achieved.

The Employment Rights Act | what councils need to know

In this session, Christian Vincent, Senior HR Consultant from WorkNest will break down the key developments reshaping the employment landscape. We’ll start with a clear overview of the Employment Rights Act, followed by a summary of the major changes introduced between 2021 and 2025 and what they mean for local authorities. You’ll then gain insight into the 2025–2027 ERA roadmap, including anticipated timelines. Most importantly, we’ll outline what councils can do now to prepare. The session will finish with a Q&A, giving you the opportunity to put your questions directly to our specialists. Don’t miss this essential update designed specifically for councils.

Stepping into the role of Clerk means stepping into the heart of local governance, where clarity, confidence, and strong professional boundaries are essential. During this talk, “Strengthen Your Leadership: Understanding the Clerk’s Key Roles & Responsibilities,” you’ll be guided by Adam Keppel‑Green FSLCC, an experienced Town and Parish Clerk and current Chair of the SLCC Board. Drawing on more than a decade of sector leadership, Adam will unpack the core functions and expectations that shape effective clerking today. This insightful talk will help you deepen your understanding of the role, enhance your decision‑making, and strengthen the leadership foundations that enable you to support your council with assurance and authority.

Managing Your Own Mental Wellbeing

Session Outline
• What is mental health?
• The Mental Health Continuum
• Stress
• Self Care – Five steps to wellbeing
• Creating a personalised wellbeing plan

Session Objectives
• Understand what Mental wellbeing is and how it differs from mental illness.
• How to recognise what is a normal response to stress.
• How to embed coping strategies into your everyday life.

The session will include:
• The importance of taking responsibility for your own mental wellbeing.
• How to recognise where you are on the mental health continuum and what normal responses to life events can look like.
• How to identify your response to stress and how to mitigate its effect
• Exploration of the 5 steps to wellbeing and how these can be included in your life.
• How to implement a personalised plan to help deal with the feeling of being overwhelmed.

All elements will be delivered in a 45minuter interactive workshop. Learning will take place through a mix of presentations, group discussions and workshop activities

Amanda Whitlock – Total Wellbeing Matters
Amanda is the owner of Total Wellbeing Matters, which offers services in promoting wellbeing. She is a licensed MHFA England instructor and specialises in delivering wellbeing and mental health consultancy, training, and workshops. She is also a Corporate Wellbeing Coach and a Bereavement and Loss Support Practitioner. She is an Accredited Trainer for Clarity 4D personality Profiling. She is an Emotional Leadership Practitioner.
Prior to starting her business, she worked for 15 years in the Charity Sector providing strategic management and business development. Her last role was National Wellbeing Manager for a charity which specialised in providing advice, guidance, and support for older people.
For individuals who want to look after their own mental health and maintain their wellbeing, she provides both the training and the toolkits to enable them to have meaningful conversations about mental health and wellbeing.
Awards
Business of the Year 2022 in the Yeovil Chamber Business awards
Health and Fitness Business of the year 2023 in the Sherborne Business Awards.
UK Enterprise Awards – Mental Health Trainer of the Year winner 2023

Global Health and Pharma – Mental Health Training Expert of the Year winner 2024

Business Elite awards SME News – Best Mental Health and Wellbeing Services – Dorset 2025

Recent Feedback
Amanda was a great instructor. She was very friendly and knowledgeable. The course was insightful and I’m looking forward to my role as a MHFAider.
Excellent course, content and delivery were excellent
The passion Amanda had for the subject was infectious.
What a fantastic course. The lead Amanda Whitlock was brilliant the way she led the course. It made me realise a lot about myself and how to see the triggers in people not only in the workplace but friends and family.
Excellent course and would recommend anyone that has the opportunity to do this course they should grab it with both hands.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/amanda-whitlock-09829b6b/
amanda@totalwellbeingmatters.com
www.totalwellbeingmatters.com

Tel: 07786251637

This workshop Harness AI & Timesaving Tools focuses on practical, hands‑on support for Town and Parish Clerks looking to streamline day‑to‑day operations using modern digital tools. Led by Emma Marsden (SLCC Branch Secretary) and supported by experts Dan Purchese (Breakthrough Communications)and Steve Walker (Cloudy IT) , the workshop explores how artificial intelligence can simplify administrative tasks, improve workflow organisation, and enhance communication with councillors and residents. Through guided exercises and realistic council scenarios, attendees will discover how AI can assist with drafting documents, responding to queries, managing information, and preparing for meetings, saving valuable time without compromising quality.

Designed for all experience levels, this interactive workshop offers a supportive environment to experiment with tools, ask questions, and build digital confidence. Participants will leave with practical techniques they can apply immediately in their council offices, along with a clearer understanding of how AI can help reinforce accuracy, keep projects on track, and reduce daily workload pressures. This session complements the morning’s strategic overview by translating ideas into actionable skills Clerks can use the very next day.

Location: The Paralympic Room

Biography
Paul Hodson is the Town Clerk and Chief Executive of Dunstable Town Council, bringing over 25 years of public sector leadership and management experience to his role.
Paul’s career has included working with elected Members in Metropolitan Councils, London Boroughs, across Buckinghamshire, and more recently in Bedfordshire. Paul’s role with Buckinghamshire County Council involved working closely with a wide range of Members to build trust, develop work programmes and gain consensus on local actions. Paul moved to his current role in Dunstable after four years as Buckingham Town Clerk. Paul is currently completing the SLCC’s Masters in Public Sector Leadership, and is Chair of the Bedfordshire Branch of the SLCC.

Briefing
This workshop will explore how a clerk can develop successful working relationships with councillors from a wide range of professional and political backgrounds. By exploring the roles councillors play and their motivations, along with strategies for building trust, respect and mutual understanding, attendees will be able to consider strategies and tools for success. Clerks provide professional advice, help councillors make good decisions and scrutinise delivery appropriately while being friendly and approachable and keeping professional boundaries. It will also cover how officers can stay politically neutral, and build trust with all councillors, and handle sensitive situations calmly and fairly.