Richard came into local government in 1984 as Parish Clerk to Blakeney Parish Council, he moved on to become Town Clerk in Swaffham in 2001 until retiring in 2023. He was also Parish Clerk in his home village of Hindringham for two years from 2015. He became one of the first Norfolk Clerks to obtain the University of Gloucestershire Local Policy Degree in 2000 and was voted Norfolk’s first Clerk of the Year back in 2006. He was Chair of Norfolk SLCC for 7 years, serving for over 25 years on the Branch Executive. He was a mentor on the ‘Working for your Council’ course, a pre-cursor for the CiLCA and served on the original assessment panel for the Quality Councils Scheme, the predecessor of the Awards Scheme.
Richard is now a past member of SLCC, but very much rejuvenated, still having the desire to help and support Clerks, passing on his 40 years of experience. Being a Clerk is a lifelong learning experience, and his philosophy is that there is always someone out there who has been there, done it and got the t-shirt, Clerks should never feel isolated or alone. A lifelong Norwich City supporter, and with four granddaughters, he keeps busy in retirement.
