When did you start at Devon County Council?
I started working for DCC in July 2026
What made you choose to work for Devon County Council?
I have a friend who works for DCC Highways and they said the work life balance was very good and I thought I would find out more.
Can you give an overview of your role?
For my role I am responsible for Clerking a number of committees that are essential for the good governance and scrutiny of DCC.
These are: Devon Authorities Strategic Waste Committee, Devon Pension Board, Corporate Infrastructure & Regulatory Services Scrutiny Committee, West Devon Highways and Traffic Orders Committee, South Hams Highways and Traffic Orders Committee. I am also part of a team that handles school admission and exclusion appeal hearings across Devon.
How did you come to be in this role?
I came by this role while working as a Deputy Town Clerk for a Town Council and when the role came up to work at County Level along with a once in a life time opportunity to support the largest Local Government Reorganisation I couldn’t resist applying for the role.
What’s your favourite part of what you do?
I enjoy being able to observe how reports from various departments influence and shape how Devon is run by local government and associate partners.
I often attain the role to being like Sir Humprey from Yes Minister (for older readers that was a satirical BBC comedy set in the late 1970s early 80s). He was responsible for advising the Minister on what could and could not be done, as everyone has good ideas, but whether these can be legally implemented is another thing.
How have you progressed through your role?
From day one I progressed through my role by having had the support of a good team. All of the team have been friendly and helpful and attentive to my learning needs. Through each week I was given tasks to complete, observe meetings, shadow colleagues and learn the constitution and standing orders. Along with all the mandatory cyber and health and safety training all DCC staff have to complete.
What benefits do you enjoy?
I really enjoy being able to work my hours around the role, working from home opportunities, all of the flexibility working for DCC brings. We are in 2026 and we have moved away from working rigid hours with set tea breaks and set lunch times. With the cost of fuel now, this is essential as each trip to the office costs me £20 a day in fuel from Dartmouth.
I really like the fact we have a team meeting every week, to enable the Deputy Director of Democratic Services & Scrutiny Secretariat to inform us of any news and for all of us to share any concerns with the rest of the team. Many officers regularly volunteer to cover each others committees when holidays or sick leave occur without being mandated to do so.
What else do you enjoy about your job?
One of the key things I enjoy about my role is the Management team at Democratic Services. They are very nice, you are trusted to do your job professionally. I enjoy being respected by the Councillors we serve. It works both ways of course. I have met the leader of the Council and the Chief Executive, and both have always treated me with respect and kindness.
Being part of a caring, happy team is a major plus. I started a 5 minute daily history quiz for our small team, which has made everyone laugh and become competitive, but it has been very well received, educational for all age groups and it keeps the brain ticking. No googling is allowed.
What do you enjoy about living and working in Devon?
For me the thing I enjoy about working and living in Devon is being able to live in Dartmouth next to the river and surrounded by the beautiful coast line of Devon at Blackpool sands and beyond is wonderful compared to when I lived in the middle of the country for over 40 years, surrounded by pollution and heavy traffic.