David Preston, the town clerk of award-winning Oswestry Town Council, has received one of the highest accolades in local government.

Mr Preston has been appointed president of the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC), which has 5,000 members across England and Wales.

He said he was honoured to land the role – and that it offered plenty of opportunities to showcase Oswestry in the next 12 months.

He said: “The role will mean I will attend regional training seminars during the year, speaking about Oswestry and my job.

“I will also attend branch meetings of the society around England and Wales and represent it and speak at the Institute of International Municipal Clerks in Virginia.

“All the costs will be met by SLCC and by sponsorship it secures.”

Mr Preston said one of his key roles this year will be to look at a bullying culture that affects councils up and down the country.

He wants to see a national, indepenedent body set up which would investigate these claims. “It is a problem – there is a high turnover of clerks in large councils as well as town and parish authorities,” Mr Preston said. There is evidence of some clerks bullying councillors and of clerks being bullied by councillors.

“The Society has already done a lot of preparatory work looking at the issues and it is a major problem.”

At his acceptance speech as he became president, Mr Preston paid tribute to Oswestry Town Council. “I have to thank my Oswestry elected councillors past and present for the support that they have – and continue – to offer me,” he said.

“They have always seen the benefits of letting me attend events and promote Oswestry far and wide.

“Most presidents have a theme for their year and I would like to focus on managing and surviving change.

“I became a town clerk at just 25 years old. In visiting branches in the year ahead, I would like to relay some of my many experiences, and resulting tips, that will reflect upon stress, frustration, bullying that I was on the end of, the benefits of training, receiving awards and shaping a council to become Council of the Year.

“I feel I can offer some tips for survival in a job that can be so rewarding, but at times can go so horribly wrong.

“The aspect of survival in my theme has to have a focus on bullying and the total inadequacy of any sanction against breaches of the Code of Conduct.

“SLCC is already pursuing this ongoing matter and some good work is being done behind the scenes. As president I want to throw my weight behind this campaign to change a system that has seen well-respected and long-serving clerks, and new entrants to the sector, experience some horrible and repeating behaviour.

“It has gone on too long and just has to change.

“There has to be a standards regime that has teeth, that is truly independent and can lead in the most serious situations to court action. The grassroots democracy of England and Wales will never encourage the best clerks and councillors to stand, and remain in office, if the bad apples remain in the orchard.”