Celebrating Local Council Clerk Week

Published: 09 June 2025

To celebrate Local Council Clerk Week, 7-14 June, Sevenoaks Town Council is asking if you know your Town Clerk and what they do.

Local Council Clerk Week logo

Linda Larter MBE has been the Town Clerk in Sevenoaks since 2008. The Town Clerk is the person who works with your councillors to make sure that Sevenoaks Town Council provides the services you need in your local neighbourhood.

Photo of Linda Larter

To help you get the latest news from the Sevenoaks Town Clerk, Linda is starting a new public blog, the Town Clerk’s Update, which you will find on our website here. You can also subscribe to get the Town Clerk’s Update sent directly to your inbox: sign up here.

Since being at Sevenoaks Town Council, Linda has managed and obtained external funding for the following: taking over the Stag management from Sevenoaks District Council; restoring Bat & Ball Station; creating House in the Basement Youth Café; purchasing Longspring Wood; Sevenoaks Town Neighbourhood Plan; restoring Café on the Vine; and rebuilding Bat & Ball Centre.

The Town Clerk is responsible for all governance matters including the council meetings, to which you are invited to attend. They make sure the council runs properly and within the law. The role also includes operating a council turnover of nearly £2million and all that this entails, working with your local MP, liaising with Sevenoaks District Council and Kent County Council, applying for grants, leading local climate change initiatives, project managing local projects, researching complex planning issues, and managing community buildings, facilities and events.

All over England and Wales, clerks to town, parish and community councils are working hard for their communities. Local councils are not new – these first-tier local authorities were introduced in 1894 to give a democratic voice to local people. But they have changed enormously in that time, especially over the last 20-30 years.

Sevenoaks Town Council manages and maintains parks, woods, play areas, allotments and community spaces including Bat & Ball Centre and House in the Basement Youth Café. It also runs many events and services for the community. For more information about the functions and facilities provided by Sevenoaks Town Council, take a look through our website.

You can also read all about the town services in the quarterly Town Crier magazine, delivered to all homes in Sevenoaks town, and available to read and subscribe to on our website here.

Linda Larter MBE, BA (Hons), FSLCC Professional Biography

Linda Larter has been a Clerk for over 30 years, working with councils varying in population sizes from 250 to 70,000 plus, including two newly created councils and is currently Town Clerk/Chief Executive of Sevenoaks Town Council.
Linda has a Local Policy degree and is a Fellow of the Society of Local Council Clerks.
In 2000, the Millennium Commission nominated Linda for an MBE for a Community Centre project.
Linda was President of the Society of Local Council Clerks for two years and in 2022, was elected to a Board Director. In 2023, Linda was elected as a Board Director to IIMC, International Institute of Municipal Clerks, representing Clerks worldwide.
Linda has been heavily involved in the joint NALC / SLCC / OVW Civility & Respect Project and acting as one of its ambassadors.