Bentley Parish Council are advertising for the role of Parish Clerk and Responsible Financial Officer, due the retirement of our long standing Clerk.
Bentley is a small but thriving rural village with about 830 residents. We are seeking someone with energy and enthusiasm who is committed to working with councillors to continue to improve our community. The Clerk provides administrative support to the Council, closely supports the Chair in the running of meetings and advises the council on policy and legislation to enable effective decisions to be made by the Parish Council.
What will the job entail?
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Preparing agendas, attending meetings, taking minutes, advising Councillors on procedural and legal matters, and progressing actions as well as keeping policies and procedures under constant review.
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Handling all incoming and outgoing correspondence and acting as a first point of contact for residents.
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Managing the Council’s finances including settlement of invoices, collection of income, budgeting, bank reconciliation, financial monitoring and reporting and preparation for audit and year end procedures.
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Coordinating and submitting responses to planning applications on behalf of the Council.
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Managing and updating the Council’s website and publishing statutory information to the website, notice boards and social media channels.
Your responsibilities
The Clerk to the Parish Council is the Proper Officer and Responsible Financial Officer of the Council and acts as its principal adviser on governance, legal, procedural and financial matters. The Clerk is responsible for ensuring that the Council conducts its business lawfully, efficiently and transparently and supports councillors in delivering services and projects for the community.
What you will need
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You will be a skilled communicator with excellent literacy skills as you will be required to interact with the public, Councillors, and other organisations in both verbal and written formats.
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You will be highly organised, methodical and thorough in your approach to completing tasks and managing your time and be able to prioritise your workload, working on your own initiative with minimal supervision.
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You will have experience with accounting or finance software including Excel and be able to deliver projects efficiently to budget.
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You will have experience or knowledge of the parish sector and ideally, an understanding of local government law or procedures.
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Ideally you will hold a Certificate in Local Council Administration (CILCA) or be willing to commit towards achieving this qualification at Parish Council expense.
What we will offer you
Becoming a Parish Clerk and Responsible Finance Officer provides the opportunity to fulfil one of the most rewarding jobs in a local community. A competent Clerk is an essential element of a successful Parish Council.
We will provide training to the post-holder with opportunities for continuing their professional development. Mentoring and other support will also be available.
You will be mainly working from home with attendance at evening monthly Council meetings with some occasional additional meetings when required. Reasonable expenses connected with working from home and travel to meetings are also payable in addition to the salary.
For more information
To find out more, please contact the Chair, Marianne Munday by emailing chair@bentleysuffolkparishcouncil.gov.uk to arrange a call.
How to apply
Download the application pack here.
Completed application to be returned to the Chair, Marianne Munday by email chair@bentleysuffolkparishcouncil.gov.uk
Closing date: 5.00 pm, 19 June 2026.
Interview date: July 2026