Local Council Clerk Week - thank you (to everyone else)

7th to 14th June is 'Local Council Clerk' week, which is intended to celebrate the work of Town and Parish Clerks. I certainly appreciate the sentiment, and it’s a very long standing role that I am proud to do - following a line of Burnham Parish Clerks back to 1894 when the Council was established; and encompassing the roles of manager, responsible financial officer, and advisor to the council.

However I’m a little uncomfortable with the focus on the one role . This does make more sense in smaller parishes where the Clerk is the only employee. At Burnham however we have a team of over 20 staff who keep the Council and its services running. They are a great team, and they deserve all the credit for the hard work they put in around the year

Our staff team at Burnham (and I’m only not naming names because I haven’t asked) include:

* Our excellent Parish Office Team, who deal with finance, administration, social media, supporting the councillors, and lots of project work.

* Our awesome Grounds Team who look after Burnham Park, the play areas, the George Pitcher Memorial Grounds, and a lot of other outside bits and pieces.

* Our phenomenal Hall Team, who run Burnham Park Hall, including the bar, cafe, bookings, caretaking and security; whilst organising lots of great events themselves such as Band Nights, the Christmas Event, and VE Day 80.

* Our brilliant Pitchside Cafe Team who keep players and spectators well fed and watered on game days at the George Pitcher Memorial Ground.

I also want to recognise and applaud the work of:

* Our tremendous team of Councillors - all unpaid volunteers led by our Chair, Vice Chair and Committee Chairs, who do a great deal for the community both inside and outside the Council.

* Our amazing contractors who look after things like streetlights, hanging baskets, and various other specialist tasks

* The many wonderful local organisations who work with and support the council, including our tenants in council buildings and many others.

* And most definitely not least, our fantastic residents who do so much for the village they live in.

So in conclusion: yay to 'Clerk Week', but actually thank you to everyone else!

Adam, Parish Clerk