STAR Clerk!
It seems an awfully long time ago that a couple of us sat down and entered our Clerk, Jayne Cooper, in the NALC (National Association of Local Councils) Star Awards under the category Clerk of the Year. This is a prestigious national competition, open to every local council in the UK, so we were aiming high. Without her knowledge, we wrote and told them just why we believed our Clerk was outstanding.
We told them that Jayne has a wealth of knowledge, experience and professionalism and can always guide us in the right direction but wears her knowledge lightly, beneath a calm, confident and professional demeanour. She encourages all her councillors to take up relevant training and anticipates the new skills which devolution of services demands, planning ahead to ensure these are developed. Whatever you need to know, Jayne is the one to ask – but she never makes you feel foolish for needing to.
Personally modest and unassuming, never wishing to blow her own trumpet, she is always ready to celebrate others’ achievements, leaving no stone unturned in her desire to make council the best it can be. She is highly knowledgeable on the legal aspects and regulations around council work, guiding quietly but firmly when needed. Jayne has great empathy with others and because of this she’s greatly respected and trusted. Her huge appetite for work and highly-developed organisational skills allow her to prioritise a massive workload with efficiency and flexibility – despite a “to-do” list of staggering proportions. She even volunteers at the Youth Club each week! Our council achieves a vast amount on a small precept and Jayne is the vital beating heart behind it all.
Most of you will know by now that she not only got through to the finals in October – she won, despite there having been a larger entry than ever before! Words cannot express how delighted we all are that her work, and that of the Council, has been recognised in this way. I think it took Jayne herself several days to fully realise what she had achieved. There is no doubt that the Council could not achieve a fraction of what it does without her. Well done that woman!