Does the Clerk attend the Annual Parish Meeting in their role as employee ?

Question

As the Annual Parish Meeting is NOT a parish council meeting, should the clerk be expected to attend in their role as employee of the council (to take minutes etc) rather than leaving that to the chairman? Our clerk is not an elector of the parish. Also, should the minutes show how many parish councillors attended the Annual Parish Meeting, when this is not a council meeting?

Answer 1

As it is a meeting of the electors and not the parish council, there is no requirement for the Clerk to attend, unless they want to.  As for the minutes, there is no requirement to have any.  Lastly, the parish councillors are attending as electors so there is no need for them to be differentiated in the minutes, although they often are.  The reason for recording councillor attendance is for the six month rule and therefore as this is not a parish council meeting, this is not a legal requirement.

Comments

Some clerks have it in their contract of employment that they are expected to attend the meeting and take minutes or they are asked to do so by their council in which case they attend as an employee (i.e. it is part of their working hours).

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Could you clarify a point which ‘could’ be misconstrued from your post.
Since the APM is open to the public the only reason to mention ‘electors’ is in relation to a vote or referendum (if there were one) rather than in relation to who might attend.
Anyone can attend - it’s open to the public.

Answer 2

It could be argued that as it is the PC's obligation to organise, advertise and arrange the APM and also meet the costs that the clerk as an official minute taker would be integral to record any questions of or to the council to ensure that the council meets it's obligations from that meeting to provide answers raised by the electorate.

Answer 3

Our Officers organise the APM (from invites, booking venue, minutes, advertising, any arrangements such as refreshments, papers). Given how local "custom" has developed the APM Minutes actually often quite detailed I couldn't imagine trying to minute it without them (I'd collapse in heap trying to write then whilst chairing it). I'd really not place to much weight on APM Minutes there is no right or wrong with them.  Its entirely an accident they still exist in the first place. No decisions binding and basically a talking shop in most instances eating cake with variety of questions (which if your meeting happens to be on Champions League night seems to end up been people asking what the score is.. )