The role of the secretary

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The secretary is responsible for:

• the agenda
• the minutes of the meeting
• answering all correspondence
• writing any letters
• circulating information to community council members
• public relations, dealing with the press, TV and radio
• looking after visitors
• arranging the venue for meetings
• liaison with officials of the local authority
• supporting the Chair and providing (or obtaining) legal and other specialist advice.

To be successful, a community council must have an energetic and conscientious secretary prepared to put in the necessary time and effort. Community council members in general , and the Chair in particular, should try to spread the secretary's load. For instance, by delegating some of his or her responsibilities to others, either individually or to small sub-committees, the secreatary's time can be freed up. It's a bad policy to overload your secretary and you might find difficulty getting volunteers in future. The duties may of course be allocated to more than one person.

It is essential that the secretary has access to a council provided laptop computer with all internet and email facilities.