Who conducts the performance appraisal for a Parish Clerk

Question

We are a small Parish - 9 councillors (including the chair).  I have only just been elected along with 6 other brand new councillors.  I continually read that the chairman is not the line manager of the clerk, which I have no problem with, but then who conducts the clerk’s performance appraisal ?  We don’t have an HR or staffing committee.

Answer 1

Standing order 19c of the current model states:

The chairman of the Council or in his absence, the vice-chairman shall upon a resolution conduct a review of the performance and annual appraisal of the work of the Clerk. The reviews and appraisal shall be reported in writing and are subject to approval by resolution by the Council.

Comments

Thanks for this.  Very helpful

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"The reviews and appraisal shall be reported in writing and are subject to approval by resolution by the Council."

This doesn't actually mean everyone gets a copy of the report though does it?  Does the person(s) carrying out the appraisal just report that it has been completed.

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No, it doesn't mean that everyone gets a copy, but equally, it is not sufficient simply to report that it has been completed. There should be a discussion, in broad terms, about the process and outcomes. The Council cannot be expected to vote to approve the appraisal without being told anything about it.

Answer 2

Some Councils give the clerk a choice of doing their appraisal with one councillor who sits on the Staffing Committee and then it is signed off by the Chair.

As Dave the clerk states it is most often it is the chair.

There often is a resistance by clerks to undertake appraisal but it is really important under employment law as if things go wrong - you need documented evidence to work with. Also if the clerk has a problem they need to follow the process of the policy to raise any issues that may arise.

Comments

Thank you.  I foresee some resistance as I don’t think this has been done previously. Good to know the lay of the land.

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My own Council have tied the annual pay review to the annual appraisal so that its in the Clerks interest to have the annual appraisal to confirm satisfactory performance.. Pay is then backdated to the 1st April.

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It is really important from both sides of the coin. Councillors come and go and a good clerk is worth their weight in gold! An underperforming clerk can cause a lot of grief.

Support should be two way in respect of the clerks employment and the appraisal should be seen as a positive form of support