Across:
1 Belt on a mini (TIMING belt) is being treated like a joke perhaps (TIMING),
4 Small (S-) restaurant (café) closes early (e) (‘café’ without ‘e’ = -CAF-) for the mass goers (the -FOLD) (SCAFFOLD) – in the past someone would have been suspended over this (SCAFFOLD for executions),
9 Break a promise (RENEGE) to Rocky (= anagram indicator) Greene (Greene = RENEGE),
10 Attends conferences (REPORTER) contributing to 20 down (REPORTER contributing to ‘papers’),
12 In the old days, got carried out by those going to The Theatre (STRETCHER) or one of those providing a big spread? (STRETCHER),
13 Slash (WOUND) or Sting? (WOUND),
14 Speak out (MAKE A PROTEST) of dissent (MAKE A PROTEST),
18 Confidence (OFF THE RECORD) – it’s not for general consumption (OFF THE RECORD),
21 Sample of revolutionary (= reversal indicator), unparliamentary (‘unparLIAMEntary’ = liame = EMAIL) online exchanges (EMAIL),
22 Incites (incites = SCIENTI-) trouble (= anagram indicator) on street (-ST) (SCIENTIST) in Darwin (Charles Darwin = SCIENTIST),
24 Frank (open) is not finished (n) (‘open’ without ‘n’ = OPE-) with informer (-RAT-) or (-OR) (OPERATOR) chancer (OPERATOR),
25 Local smashed (BLOTTO) back starting (‘Back’ starting = B-) ball game that’s risky (-LOTTO) (BLOTTO),
26 Lose the head (l) with speech, typical of Daffy (lisp) (‘lisp’ without ‘l’ = -ISP-) immersed in impenetrable (impenetrable = D-ENSE) (DISPENSE) deal (DISPENSE),
27 Local criticises (‘local’ criticises KNOCKS) sounds from The Doors (KNOCKS).
Down:
1 Flag (TIRE-) is a little (-SOME) (TIRESOME) boring (TIRESOME),
2 Construct (make = MA-KE) includes darn (darn = -NDRA-) awful (= anagram indicator) (MANDRAKE) type of nightshade (MANDRAKE),
3 Odd (= anagram indicator) thing (thing = NIGHT) is – this one for the stars? (NIGHT),
5 What the average fan does (CLEARS THE AIR) removes uncertainty (CLEARS THE AIR),
6 What the consumers don’t want (FOOD WASTE) is on every menu (FOOD) and it’s junk? (WASTE) (FOOD WASTE),
7 Don’t get involved (OPT OUT) with relative (pop) losing first (p) (‘pop’ without ‘p’ = OP-) hawk (tout = -T OUT) (OPT OUT),
8 Mock (DERIDE) Ross leaving side orders (‘Ross’ leaving ‘side orders’ = iderde = DERIDE),
11 High-street fundraisers (CHARITY SHOPS) distributing (= anagram indicator) Cypriot’s hash (Cypriot’s hash = CHARITY SHOPS),
15 Associate (AFFILIATE) of a (A-) party (Fianna Fáil = -FF-) leader in (leader ‘In’ = -I-) made up story (lie = -LI-E) over a (-A-) time (-T-) (AFFILIATE),
16 Spring (hop), for the most part (p) (‘hop’ without ‘p’ = HO-), is on schedule (-LIST-) in charge (-IC) (HOLISTIC) of this type of overall treatment (HOLISTIC),
17 Issues (EDITIONS) similar to those in 20 down (EDITIONS similar to ‘papers’),
19 Album (RECORD) by New (= anagram indicator) Order (order = RE-ORD) includes first cover (first ‘Cover’ = -C-) (RECORD),
20 Concealed in Vespa personalised (concealed in ‘vesPA PERSonalised’ = PAPERS) for archivist going to work (PAPERS),
23 Pole (North Pole = N-) only (only = -YLON) makes a mess (= anagram indicator) (NYLON) of material (NYLON).