§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of parish and town clerks she estimates have achieved a relevant qualification in order to help qualify towards their council being a Quality Parish Council. [171390]
§ Alun MichaelSince the launch of the Certificate in Local Council Administration as the bespoke qualification for town and parish clerks, 55 clerks have qualified while another 450 clerks have requested to take the qualification in the next 12 months representing 6 per cent. of the 7,900 parish and town clerks in England. This figure is based on estimates provided by the Society of Local Council Clerks. This represents an excellent start for such a new professional qualification.
Clerks who have gained the Certificate of Higher Education in Local Policy, provided by the University of Gloucester also meet the relevant Quality Council criteria. Since this course started in 1987 the University estimate that over 450 people have gained the qualification although it is not known how many of the earlier students are still serving as clerks.