15 April 2024
At the end of May and after three years at SLCC, we are saying a fond farewell to Shelley Parker, our External Affairs Manager.
In her time in role, Shelley has done a magnificent job of promoting the important, multifaceted role of clerks and the local council sector to our external partners and to central government. Using her diplomatic skills honed from her time at the Foreign Office, and sector knowledge as a town clerk and graduate of the Community Governance degree course, she has highly effectively pushed members’ issues forward. She has lobbied and provided briefings for Ministers, MPs and Peers with SLCC getting mentions in both Houses of Parliament, as well as bringing parliamentarians to conferences. She’s worked incredibly hard at establishing and nurturing good relationships with colleagues at the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) and the Home Office and encouraged and arranged visits for civil servants to town and parish councils.
Shelley has kept the Board of Directors and National Forum up to date with the latest legislative changes, working with Directors on various initiatives and consultations as well as liaising with key partner, the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), and also urged on our membership of the Local Government Association (LGA). She’s also been our voice as interviewer on our podcasts talking to a range of contributors, covering a diverse landscape of subjects.
Shelley said “SLCC has been a part of my world for a long time and I’m grateful for the opportunity that this role has given me to have a close up view of the sector at a national level. There’s lots been done and lots more to do and SLCC has proved that it has a real part to play in shaping the way the most local layer of government could be. With our burgeoning membership of professionals and such a good home team we are in a really strong position to keep on influencing what happens in the sector.”
CEO Rob Smith said, “Shelley assumed the role after a brief pilot period and, in her three years has done nothing less than transform our external affairs function while at the same time shaping and developing the role itself. We owe her a huge debt of gratitude for the extraordinary work she has done in delivering on our strategic priorities of promoting the profession and the positioning of SLCC with partners. We will miss her calm, friendly professionalism and her insight into and comprehensive understanding of all tiers of government. Most of all we’ll miss her presence as a valued colleague and friend. We wish her all the very best for the future”.
