Clerks working for multiple councils

Question

How do we deal with clerks working for multiple councils. Are salaries based on precept, can they charge multiple times for documents created ie charge both councils 1 day for creating a policy rather than 1/2 a day each.

Answer 1

There may be examples where 'good' clerks properly account for, and properly apportion, an accurate split of time / hours across more than 1 employing council and it is even possible that some efficiencies could be achieved when spread across several employing councils...  But...

Personal experience of a clerk who, amongst other irregularities, was charging more hours per week across several councils that employed them than there were actually hours available to work in a week.  

That clerk - of 20 years employment - threatened an industrial tribunal for constructive dismissal claiming to feel 'undermined' by Cllr questions about hours worked.  

That threat of industrial tribunal disappeared just as quickly as the clerk did (but not before they arranged for the forensic wipe of the PC IT equipment) when the potential for a fraud investigation was presented in response to the industrial tribunal threat.

As ever, the difficulty arises, and perhaps the temptation manifests, where 1 or more councils exercise a less than diligent and responsible oversight of employee direction and output.

Again, personal experience provides the evidence that many councils lack the will / expertise / interest / capability to effectively manage employees and this leaves the door open to potential for exploitation. 

Comments

More specifically, in regard to the example given, if a document which was manifestly the same, appeared on more than 1 council website (for example) you could ask - how long did it take to research / compile / publish said document.

You could then speak to the other council and ask them what the arrangement was for their document.

If you were told that 1 document took 1 day for your council, and they were told 1 document took 1 day for their council, and both were 'charged' 1 day - then you might have the basis for legitimate query.

The original question could be interpreted as the manifestation of a broader concern and it is perfectly legitimate to have such thoughts.  Actions however should be via the HR committee if such a thing exists.

Answer 2

A Clerk is employed for a specific number of hours per week with a job description that specifies the employer's expectations within that timeframe. The nature of the role requires a degree of flexibility within the hours worked, as there will be busy periods around meetings and less busy periods in between. A monthly average might give a better picture rather than looking at individual weeks in isolation.

What the Clerk does and how they do it is really a matter for the individual, as long as they are delivering the service required by the Council. If a Clerk is regularly submitting overtime claims, this needs to be investigated, as it may require a modification to the contracted hours, but only if the workload warrants this.

A whole day for creating a policy appears inappropriate to me, as the majority of our policies are templates provided by appropriately qualified organisations and very few Clerks (myself included) have the legal and technical knowledge to draft good policies from scratch.

Having said all of this, micro-managing your Clerk is the start of a slippery slope to much bigger and more challenging situations, so should be avoided.

Answer 3

Firstly, salaries should not be based upon precept but on the nature of the role for that particular council.  So, a council with multiple responsibilities such as village halls, burial grounds, recreation facilities, etc. would undoubtedly set their salary scale at a different point from a council with no land, buildings, facilities etc., regardless of precept or even level of population.  Similarly, hours necessary to do the job will differ.
As far as the second point is concerned, I agree that many clerks would apportion the time taken for tasks which are similar/the same in a fair manner but I also agree that some might not.  However it would be difficult if not impossible to micro manage the clerk to the extent that you can identify exactly how long it took to do something like prepare a policy.  How many, for example, "borrow" a template from another parish (given that lots of examples are on council websites) and then amend it to suit their own council?  How do you judge how long it should take to do that?   Surely there should be some trust in your staff?

Never forgotten the time I prepared a briefing document for my council on a particular subject (which took me a little while to research) and subsequently found a copy of it on another council's website who were contemplating a similar course of action!  The clerk hadn't asked me or indeed acknowledged that it was my briefing note.  She'd just removed my name!