OKEHAMPTON Town Council has announced the appointment of its new town clerk, Emma James. 

Emma is the first female town clerk in the 1,000 year history of the town, and the council was delighted to welcome her to the post.

Emma comes to Okehampton having previously been parish clerk to several local parishes, including Bratton Clovelly.

Having lived in this area all her life she sees this move as a definite career advancement for which her CiLCA qualification will prove invaluable. CiLCA is a Certificate in Local Council Administration administered by the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC).

The Mayor of Okehampton Cllr Jan Goffey said: ‘We are thrilled to appoint Emma as our new town clerk. She has been working with us for a few weeks now and her enthusiasm and knowledge both of the area and local government will enable the town to move forward. Hopefully we can now work towards solving some of the problems which have plagued us for many years. It is such a relief to have a qualified clerk in the office, which a town of this size needs.’

Mrs James (pictured right) commented: ‘I am honoured and delighted to have been offered the position and am very excited to be working with the town councillors and council staff. I hope to be able to promote links with local parish councils, in particular Okehampton Hamlets which is so closely linked to the town itself.’