Bramshott & Liphook Parish Council

Vacancy: Parish Clerk & Responsible Finance Officer

Who We Are:

Amberley is a medium sized rural parish situated in the South Downs National Park. It has three hamlets, Amberley, Houghton Bridge and North Stoke with a total population of 580. There are a total of nine councillors and a precept of £39,000. The Council owns or administers a recreation ground, two playgrounds, a football field, a car park, a village pond and two areas of public open spaces.

The Role:

Hours: This is a part-time position, with 20 hours per week. It involves a varied and interesting range of work and an opportunity to make a real difference to the services for residents in the Parish

Location:

Hybrid working - home based with attendance at bi-monthly council meetings and other council meetings as necessary. We offer a flexible working pattern -other than attendance at meetings, the Clerk can manage the workload to suit personal requirements.

The bi-monthly council meetings take place in the evening in St Michael’s Church Hall.

Salary:

The salary range is from the national salary spinal point SCP 20 - 25 (£16.37 - £18.26 per hour), depending upon experience and qualifications. Working from home allowance of £26 per month is payable. The Council also offers membership of NEST Pension Scheme.

Duties will include:

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To serve as the Proper Officer of the Council, managing day-to-day administration and finances.

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To prepare agendas and minutes for bi-monthly Council meetings (the second Thursday of January, March, May, July, September and November). To post agendas on parish noticeboards and website.

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To ensure that statutory and other provisions governing or affecting the running of the Council are observed

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Implement Council decisions and resolutions

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Maintain accurate financial records, set the budget in collaboration with the Council, and prepare end-of-year accounts.

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To submit planning comments as agreed at Council/Planning Committee meetings

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Handle correspondence and maintain the Parish Council website

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To monitor, manage and balance the Council's accounts and prepare records for audit purposes and VAT. Operate the payroll including PAYE, HMRC and Pension returns (the council uses Basic PAYE Tools). Produce financial reports for meetings of the Council

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To obtain quotes and instruct suppliers/contractors as per the Council Financial Regulations. To receive and report on invoices for goods and services to be paid for by the Council and to ensure such accounts are met.

What We’re Looking For:

Ideally, a CILCA-qualified Parish Clerk, or someone eager to work towards this qualification or have relevant experience for the role of Parish Clerk and RFO

Administrative and financial experience is essential. A working knowledge of Local Government procedures is an advantage.

Excellent communication skills, a positive ‘can-do’ attitude, good IT skills, and the ability to work independently and manage a varied workload.

A motivated, forward-thinking individual who can build strong local partnerships and promote the interests of the community.

Interested?

For further information on this role or to request an application form, please send an email to clerk@amberley-pc.org.uk. Please note that CVs will not be accepted.

Closing date for applications is Monday 2nd December with Interviews taking place in December.

CLERK & RESPONSIBLE FINANCIAL OFFICER

Permanent Role – 20 hours per week (£26.85-£31.57 p.h) (fte £51,802-£60,903) Office based with flexibility to work from home at times

Who we are

Barnham and Eastergate Parish is a large Parish in Arun District formed in 2019 following the successful merger of the former Barnham Parish Council and Eastergate Parish Council. The electoral role for the Parish is over 5500 and the current precept is £188,400. The Parish Council is responsible for two Recreation Grounds, Eastergate Sports Pavilion, Eastergate War Memorial, benches, noticeboards and planters across the Parish. It also owns Barnham Community Hall which is operated by Barnham & Eastergate Community Trust under a ‘Licence to Operate’ and a Memorandum of Understanding between the two organisations.

The Council has 13 Councillors and the Clerk has responsibility for the management of two Assistant Clerks. The Council holds public meetings of the Full Council and the Planning & Environment Committee and has several Working Parties with specific Terms of Reference related to the Strategic Plan of the Council.

Why we’re Recruiting and what we’re looking for

The current Clerk will be retiring from the role of Clerk & RFO and the Council are hoping to recruit someone to join the Council in February 2025 with the aim of a suitable length of handover for what is a multi-functional role.

We are looking for someone who is educated to at least A-level standard or equivalent, already holds the CiLCA (Certificate in Local Council Administration) qualification, or be working towards it, and has relevant experience for the role of Parish Clerk and RFO. In addition a good knowledge of local government organisation and procedures is essential.

You must have a detailed knowledge of Microsoft products, demonstrate excellent organisational, administrative and communication skills, as well as being able to plan and manage workloads to meet deadlines. Previous meeting arrangement, including agenda setting and minute taking experience is essential.

In respect of the RFO element of the role you must have excellent accounting experience preferably with income and expenditure accounts. 

What does the role entail?

• Serving as the Proper Officer of the Council

• Ensuring all key policy and procedure documents are relevant and up-to-date

• Preparing agendas and minutes for Full Council and other meetings

• Implementing Council decisions and resolutions

• Acting as the Responsible Finance Officer to deal with the financial activities of the Council

• Handling correspondence and maintaining the Council’s website

• Manage the two Assistant Clerks and Litterpicker employed by the Council

• Work closely with the Chair and all Councillors to plan and execute the Council’s aims and objectives within the statutory and regulatory requirements that govern the Council

• Help maintain a relationship between the Council and the Community Trust

What can we offer you:

20 hours per week based at the Parish Office in Barnham Community Hall (with flexibility to work at home on occasions)

A salary on the Local Government Payscale within in the LC3-LC4 scale range (fte £51,802-£60.903 pro rata £26.85-31.57 p.h) dependent upon qualifications and experience.

Access to the Local Government Pension Scheme

25 days annual leave (pro rata) + 8 Bank Holidays

If you think you’re the person for us then please send an email to clerk@barnhamandeastergate-pc.gov.uk to obtain an application form for completion as CVs will not be accepted.

Closing date for applications is Friday 29th November.

JOB DESCRIPTION

POST TITLE: Administration Officer 

RESPONSIBLE TO: Town Clerk 

ROLE DESCRIPTION

This post offers a challenging workload and the successful candidate will need to have the flexibility to handle a variety of general administration and communication tasks including dealing with members of the public.

KEY DUTIES:

· To act as a champion for Arundel Town Council within the local community 

· To take accurate minutes at meetings and ensure all policies and schedules are updated accordingly;

· To manage the Mayor’s diary, in particular dealing with invitations for events; 

· To deal with enquiries from the general public;

· Liaise and build relationships with other national and regional authorities ( e.g: National Highways, West Sussex County Council and Arun District Council)

· To support Council committees, working groups and community events;

· To lead selected Council projects which benefit the Arundel community

· To assist the Town Clerk in the day to day running of the Council and to deputise for the Town Clerk at meetings she is unable to attend;

· To write and edit press releases/articles for local newspapers and publications;

· To prepare written correspondence (email, letters);

· To support the design of visual communications such as banners, flyers and posters for both online and print formats for council-related activities.

· To be responsible for continually updating the Council’s website and social media accounts;

· In collaboration with the Council’s IT service providers, manage the Council’s IT infrastructure. 

THE PERSON

· Excellent administrative and word processing skills;

· Highly Computer literate (MS 365 including Word, Excel and Teams, Zoom, Wordpress, Canva and Google docs);

· Used to working closely with a small team and able to work with Councillors and members of the public both in person and virtually; 

· Well-presented and a strong communicator;

· Well-organised, able to manage conflicting and pressurised deadlines;

· A true team player, who recognises that they form part of a wider team and is willing to support colleagues whenever necessary;

· Experience of Website administration via Wordpress would be an advantage;

· Experience of design, marketing and PR work would be an advantage;

Flexible – able to work in the evenings and weekends if required to do so. 

Job Title: Assistant Executive Officer

We are now looking to expand our team with the addition of an Assistant Executive Officer, with the potential to progress to the role of Deputy Executive Officer for candidates who meet the job specifications.

We are recruiting for the position of Assistant Executive Officer, presenting an exciting opportunity for those eager to progress a career in business administration and local government. This role offers a stimulating environment with a variety of duties and responsibilities. Exceptional candidates who hold a CiLCA qualification and have relevant experience may be considered for the Deputy Executive Officer position. The salary range for these roles is £28,000 to £38,000, depending on experience and qualifications.

More information and the application form can be found via our website: https://www.southwater-pc.gov.uk/job-listings-and-vacancies