The Proper Officer – New Clerk Foundations

Part 2: Meetings, Minutes and the Annual Governance Cycle

Course summary

Part 2 builds on the foundations introduced in Part 1 by taking new Clerks through the practical meeting and governance cycle of a local council year. The session looks in more detail at the Clerk’s role before, during and after meetings, including working with Chairs and councillors, preparing agendas and motions, supporting lawful decision-making, recording resolutions, producing minutes, and managing approval, correction, retention and publication.

The course also introduces key annual governance responsibilities, including the AGAR, Exercise of Public Rights, publication requirements, and the statutory and good-practice documents that help councils demonstrate transparency, accountability and effective governance.

This session is designed to help new Clerks understand how the core governance principles from Part 1 are applied in practice through the council’s meetings, records and annual governance cycle.

Who is it for?

This course is aimed primarily at:

• newly appointed Clerks and Deputy Clerks
• Assistant Clerks or administrative staff supporting council meetings
• Clerks who are new to the parish and town council sector
• existing Clerks who would like a refresher on meeting administration, minutes and core governance documents

It is suitable for those who have attended Part 1 or who already have a basic understanding of how parish and town councils operate.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

• understand the Clerk’s role before, during and after council meetings
• work more confidently with Chairs and councillors when preparing agenda items, motions and supporting papers
• understand the importance of the summons, agenda, supporting papers and clear recommendations
• recognise when an item may not yet be ready for lawful or effective decision-making
• support the Chair and council during meetings while maintaining the Clerk’s procedural and advisory role
• understand how decisions, resolutions and key procedural points should be recorded
• produce clear draft minutes that record council decisions without becoming a transcript
• understand how minutes are approved, corrected, amended, signed, retained and published
• distinguish between minutes, action lists and supporting records
• understand the purpose and basic structure of the AGAR
• recognise the key stages of the annual audit and Exercise of Public Rights process
• identify key statutory documents, policies and records that councils must maintain or publish
• recognise additional good-practice documents that support transparency, consistency and effective governance