A NEW permanent clerk for Middlewich has been appointed by the town council.

Lisa Benskin, who has been working as interim clerk at Middlewich Town Council since January, was given the unanimous backing of the recruitment sub-committee.

A qualified solicitor since 2006, Lisa moved into the world of clerking in 2014 when she took on the role of deputy town clerk at Knutsford Town Council.

She follows in the footsteps of Jonathan Williams, who served as town clerk for 34 years until his death last September.

Lisa said: “I am looking forward to getting to know Middlewich and its residents better, understanding what they want and need from their town council and implementing the decisions of the council to achieve these aims.

“The team of staff and councillors have been really supportive and helped me settle in to life at the council, and I am pleased to have the opportunity to continue working with them.”

Lisa joins the council following a difficult period.

It was rocked by a damning audit report last December which found a series of failings dating back to 2017 and left the town council facing a bill for missed VAT payments.

Work has since taken place to help the council get back on track while Lisa has worked as interim town clerk, and a new audit report is expected next month to explain what further work needs to be done.

But Lisa has high hopes Middlewich Town Council, with the long-term goal of helping it achieve Gold Quality Council status.

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Cllr Carol Bulman, chairman of the recruitment sub-committee, added: “We are delighted to announce the appointment of Lisa to the permanent position of town clerk.

“Her expertise in legal and financial matters have already proved invaluable to the council in her role as interim clerk and we now look forward to benefitting from her rigorous approach to all our efforts.”