Board of Directors

Peter ALLEN

Towcester Town Council

My wife and I moved to Towcester in 1976 and I have served as an independent parish and town councillor there since 1982. My first exposure to Northants CALC was being sent, shortly after I was first elected, on their courses in an attempt to turn me into an effective local councillor. This has served me well over the years and left me with a high regard for the work of the Association. In 2009 I was honoured to be nominated and elected to the then County Committee and subsequently to the Board of Directors, when the Association was incorporated.

Despite the transition phase of Northamptonshire's County and District Councils to unitary status now being officially completed, I suspect the full ramifications to our Parish and Town Councils are still to emerge. However I am confident that the considerable effort of the Association and its officers into developing ongoing working relationships with both Unitary Councils, through and since the transition, will prove invaluable to member councils for the foreseeable future.  

Lynn LAVENDER

Ashton Parish Council / Hartwell Parish Council

Since joining the Local Council sector in 2012 I have been variously, Executive Officer, Clerk and RFO to a number of councils both large and small. I am CiLCA qualified and a Fellow of the Society of Local Council Clerks, with a Masters in Community Education. 

Professionally I have considerable experience, within the Third Sector and the Local Council Sector, of operational and strategic management at a local, regional and national level. A particular interest in quality assurance processes lead me to join the internal audit team at Northants CALC in 2014. 

I have been a member of the board of directors at Northants CALC since 2014.

Richard LEWIS

Rushden Town Council

I have been a member of Rushden Town Council since 2005 and have been on the Board of Northants CALC since 2012. I have also served Northants CALC as Vice Chair for 2 years and as Chair for 3 years. I am a firm believer in Northants CALC as an organisation, not only in bringing coordinated strength to the representation of over 200 county parish councils but also in providing a wide range of services and advice on tap to the parishes. I was a District Councillor for 11 years and involved with other organisations which operated county wide and thus have experience of chairing meetings at these levels. I believe that this experience and knowledge is very useful to Northants CALC in balancing the board with large and small parish representation. Additionally in assisting Northants CALC to work with its partners and in particular with the many changes that are taking place with the replacement of the Borough and District councils with two new Unitary Councils.

Geoff PAUL

Moulton Parish Council

Following service in the Royal Navy I became an accountant, and worked for a number of companies, both large and small, until my retirement in 2012. I moved into Moulton in 1996 and have lived there ever since. My interest in Community matters led to co-option to the Parish Council on three occasions – 2004, 2014, and 2018. Among my other roles, I am now Vice Chairman of Council, and Chairman of the Finance Committee.

My other activities have included being a member of the Northants Special Constabulary from 1973 to 2003, a Magistrate for 12 years until age-enforced retirement in 2017, an Association Football Referee from 1968-1998, followed by becoming an FA qualified Assessor, and I now regularly watch and advise aspiring referees. It gives me great pride to sit as the Independent Chairman of Northants Football Association disciplinary committee, and also on the FA Regional Discipline Panel. Since 2018 I have been a Non-Executive Director for Cognatum Estates, a company which runs a number of Retirement Communities throughout England. Just to be sure I am not idle in my retirement, I have been a Volunteer Lock Keeper with Canal and River Trust since 2013 – helping boaters, meeting people, and getting some much-needed exercise.

Mike SCOTT

Great Addington Parish Council

I have been a councillor for Great Addington Parish Council since 2014 and believe that this is an important part of civic life as well as contributing to our community, especially given the push toward greater devolution and all the opportunities that this has to offer. I have lived in Northamptonshire since the age of 9 and have lived in a few places in this lovely county. I previously worked as a CEO for a global business operating in a highly regulated environment and felt I had the right kind of experience and skill sets to offer NCALC when they were looking for a new board member. Since joining NCALC I have played an active part in helping to formulate their strategy going forward as well as carrying out various roles for NCALC including Chair and National Representative.  I believe that in today's society organisations in public service need to take in to account best practice from all types of organisations including those in the private sector and I think this is something I can offer NCALC going forward.

Lynne TAYLOR

Daventry Town Council

I’ve served as a director with NCALC since 2011 and taken an active part in steering our membership organisation to becoming one of the leading CALCs in our sector. Over the years the Directors and our team of officers has transformed the offer to our local councils in Northamptonshire and w e know that as our sector has become increasingly active in serving their communities, Northants CALC is busier than ever and remains responsive to its members. As a Daventry town councillor since 2003 I can see at first hand the quality of support we receive. 

I’m ‘retired’; a Northampton Saints season ticket holder, a trustee, a school governor and passionate about our sector and what it means to our communities. 

David FULLER

Oundle Town Council

I have lived in Northamptonshire on two separate occasions. My first visit was to Wollaston in the 1980s where I purchased my first house. Then 26 years ago I became a teacher at Oundle School. Since then my family have settled in Oundle and we have fallen in love with the town and county as a lovely place to live. After leaving teaching in 2010, I decided to try and see what I could do for my local community and I became a councillor at Oundle Town Council. I have learnt a great during my time as a councillor and also gained a lot of respect for the work that Northants CALC carries out in supporting councils when they face some difficult issues. As our roles as councillors, particularly in the parish councils, becomes more complex the support Northants CALC can offer them is going to become more important. As a Director of Northants CALC I am learning even more about the issues parish and town councils face in Northamptonshire, and also solutions as well as opportunities that can present themselves. 

Kate HOULIHAN

Far Cotton and Delapre Community Council

Originally from Bristol I moved to Northampton in 1996, having lived in Plymouth, Blackburn and Amsterdam. (I’m not saying which I preferred!) My career began in marketing, but after a career break, in 2003, I took a role with my local parish council. Since then, I have worked for a number of parish and town councils in Northamptonshire and out of the county. Between 2011 and 2013 I was the training officer for Northants CALC, and I am always keen to support clerks and councillors with training.

I have been a member of the Northants CALC Internal Audit team since 2022, a role which I find very rewarding .

I joined the Board of Directors at Northants CALC in 2023.