Parish clerk attendance at annual Parish Meeting

Question

If 6 electors call a Parish Meeting in a parish where there is also a Parish Council, is there a statutory requirement for the clerk to attend and take minutes? So what I’m asking really is, is attendance by the clerk a “must have” or a “nice to have”?

Answer 1

Parish meetings if called ( and required annual meeting) must be organised and financed by the PC even though it is NOT a PC meeting. The required annual meeting is chaired by the PC chair
. If the chair does not attend then the members of the community must vote a chair to hold the meeting as well as a minute taker. There is no legal requirement for the clerk to attend or take minutes but it can run smoother if they do.

So firmly in your nice to have category