Across:
1 Give someone a hard time locally (HECKLE) with badger (badger/harass = HECKLE),
4 Sounds like (= homophone indicator) Ryle (“Ryle” = “rile” = OFFEND-) Ward (ward = -ER) (OFFENDER) is the culprit (OFFENDER),
9 No-brainer dropping ban (‘no-brainer’ dropping ‘ban’ = oriner = RENOIR), as was known to have left an impression on the artistic movement (RENOIR),
10 Sulk (‘pout’ = PO- -UT) over leaders with energy restricting compromise (leaders ‘with energy restricting compromise’ = werc = -WER C-) (POWER CUT) to what the electricians union might engineer (POWER CUT),
12 Tom (C-AT) put ode (put ode = -OUP D’ET-) away (= anagram indicator) inside (COUP D’ETAT), as it’s a revolting piece of work (COUP D’ETAT),
13 Dealer clears a (‘dealer’ clears ‘a’ = deler = ELDER) part of the forest (ELDER)
14 Tweet (POST-) by bachelor (-GRADUATE) (POSTGRADUATE) working in research facility needs to be qualified, in an educational sense (POSTGRADUATE),
18 Doing a job in a restaurant (WAITING) cataloguing the wines (wine LISTS) (WAITING LISTS) for those doing their best to remain patient (WAITING LISTS),
21 Cop out of (AVOID) road movie is getting no more (‘road movie’ with no ‘more’ = oadvi = AVOID),
22 Exceptional people (RARE BIRDS) in the glossy Ibises (‘glossy ibises’ = RARE BIRDS / and could be glossy Ibis hotels),
24 Part-time office worker (TEMP-) to lose the head (m) with honourable type (‘moral’ without ‘m’= -ORAL) (TEMPORAL) – it’s only a matter of time (TEMPORAL relates to time),
25 Seals leave Dar es Salaam (‘seals’ leave ‘Dar es Salaam’ = draaam = ARMADA) with the fleet (ARMADA),
26 It’s an utter failure (DISASTER) to set-up (= reversal indicator) Sidney (Sid = DIS-) with Daisy’s relative (-ASTER) (DISASTER),
27 Sounds tacky (CHEESY) to sell off Seychelles (‘sell’ off ‘Seychelles’ = ychees = CHEESY).
Down:
1 It’s not easy (it’s HARD) to issue (COPY) (HARD COPY) White Paper (white paper = HARD COPY),
2 Nero leaves Queen Consort (‘Nero’ leaves ‘Queen Consort’ = queconst = CONQUEST) and takes another by force (CONQUEST),
3 Hide away (hideaway = LAIR-) diamonds (-D) (LAIRD) for man from one of the estates (Scottish LAIRD owns a large estate),
5 One of The Baskervilles (one of The Baskervilles/one of the type of fonts/font = F-ONT) admits writing (from the 3Rs = -R-) to The Messenger’s (messengers = RUNNERS) (FRONT RUNNERS) people taking the leads (FRONT RUNNERS),
6 Rudimentary (ELEMENTAL) ingredient (ELEMENT-) for a (-A-) starter of lasagne (starter of ‘lasagne’ = -L) (ELEMENTAL),
7 Local crack (DECODE) on most of (k) terrace (‘deck’ without ‘k’ = DEC-) is produced by one of those doing a line perhaps (-ODE is produced by linesman/poet) (DECODE),
8 Rotter (rotter = RETORT) makes (= anagram indicator) a comeback (RETORT),
11 T Bone (T-bone STEAK) Burnett finishes (‘Burnett’ finishes = T-) crafty work (-ART-) that’s unique (rare) – with no intro (r) (‘rare’ without ‘r’ = -ARE) (STEAK TARTARE), it’s raw in the extreme and definitely meaty (STEAK TARTARE),
15 A drug (a drug = GUARD) problem (= anagram indicator) hounds (DOGS) (GUARD DOGS) those working on leads in the security business (GUARD DOGS),
16 Takes drugs (USER-) from celebrity (-NAME) (USERNAME) with online identity (USERNAME),
17 One (I-) getting letters of distress (-SOS-) to stay (stay = -TASY) away (= anagram indicator) (ISOSTASY) interests the geologist, whose crust is in the balance (ISOSTASY),
19 Preserved (SALTED) bananas (= anagram indicator) lasted (lasted = SALTED),
20 Daisy’s relative (COSMOS) produced firm’s (COs = COS-) money orders (money orders = MOs = -MOS) (COSMOS),
23 Bothersome moose removed (‘bothersome’ ‘moose’ removed = bthre = BERTH) by sleepy type on the boat (BERTH).