This webinar is ideal for:

• Town and Parish Councils looking to expand council capacity, manage growing workloads, and explore innovative staffing solutions.

Katie Walding has been Clerk and RFO at Sway, New Forest, Hampshire for nine years. She worked as the sole employee at this medium sized and rural parish council for the first seven years, on part-time hours. In the last five years the council has evolved to become much more ambitious and proactive in its services and facilities for residents, hence their drive to create a new second role before she drowned!

Estela Hernandez Smith became Apprentice Clerk at Sway in September 2024 straight from school having sat her GCSEs. Having successfully completed her apprenticeship at Sway earlier in 2026, Estela is now Sway’s Assistant Clerk with a full role and responsibilities of her own.

Join both Katie and Estela in this webinar to discover the creation of a clerk’s apprenticeship, at a medium sized council, with a part-time clerk. Learn how the role was created, delivered and the experiences of the clerk and apprentice across the 18-month programme.

You will discover:

• The power of clustering: How the collaborative partnerships with neighbouring town and parish councils, and principal authorities helped deliver a full clerking experience.
• How you can do it: Understand how this model could be replicated across other medium and small parish councils.
• Why clerking can attract young people: Hear from the apprentice – now Assistant clerk - on her experience and how we might better reach young people.