Discover more about the councils who will employ Pathways to Planning graduates.
Local councils across England have competed to take part in Cohort 1 of Pathways to Planning. We have selected the best range of council hosts for the pilot of this programme. Each council has demonstrated how they will varied provide work experience and mentoring support for their graduates, ensuring that all councils will offer an exceptional learning environment.
North East
Based in the northern hub of Newcastle, Newcastle City Council’s Planning team will employ one graduate as part of the Pathways to Planning Programme. More information about the council will be forthcoming.
North West
Pathways to Planning places for Cohort 1
2
Starting salary
£27,852
Hybrid working or office based?
We offer hybrid working. Staff can come as much as they want to work in the office, and are expected to attend a minimum of once a week to collaborate with colleagues and attend team meetings.
Our Planning Service
Our planning team work together to enable the council to meet its ambitious vision for growth in the borough. We have a policy team which has recently seen a new Local Plan adopted, this allocates large areas of both greenfield and brownfield land for housing and employment uses. The team are now working on the production of various guidance documents and the delivery of a masterplan for a new garden village.
The development management team deal with a wide range of planning applications, including house extensions, new dwellings, schools, and town centre regeneration schemes, they work with a range of different colleagues they strive to ensure that high quality development is delivered. Both teams are supported by tech support and enforcement teams, who ensure that applications are processed and built correctly. Finally, we also have tree, woodland, highways, conservation, and design officers all of whom support the planning officers in their roles.
Our graduate roles
On Tuesday 12 July 2022 the St Helens Local Plan up to 2037 was adopted by members. The adopted Plan is an ambition vision for growth in the borough, with a mix of brownfield sites and Green Belt release aiming to provide through the balanced regeneration and sustainable growth of its built-up areas, a range of attractive, healthy, safe, inclusive, and accessible places in which to live, work, visit and invest.
Whilst based at St. Helens graduates will undertake a range of work experience via placements across the department, whilst being predominately attached to one team. In the first year a graduate will be placed with either Planning Policy or Development Management, and then in the second year swap over. The final year would depend on business needs and the attributes graduates show in their first two years, and wherever possible, the graduates preferred area of work.
As the graduates would be working within Planning Services, which is part of the Place Directorate, the following structure to mentoring and support would be applied.
- Programme Champion – Director of Strategic Growth.
- Pathways Coordinator – Head of Planning Services.
- Mentor – Principal/Senior Planning Officers.
- Line Manager – Planning Policy and Development Management Team Leader
Our local area
St. Helens is a metropolitan Unitary Authority, and one of six local authorities that make up the Liverpool City Region. Located almost equidistant between Liverpool and Manchester, St Helens has excellent rail and road links, and enjoys a strategic position at the heart of the North West and Merseyside conurbation.
St. Helens has a great mix of urban and rural areas, with a coal mining heritage, many former pits and spoils have been re-purposed. Including the former Sutton Manor Colliery, which now forms part of the Bold Forest Park and features the ‘Dream’, a 20m high sculpture commissioned by ex-miners and the Council to reflect the aspirations of the community. The sculpture and St. Helens recently featured in the Netflix series ‘Stay Close’.
Benefits of working here
- There are many benefits to working at St. Helens, these include a generous annual leave allowance which starts at 32 days a year and can rise to 38. Additional leave can also be purchased enabling you to enhance your work-life balance.
- All employees are entitled to two days paid volunteering leave each year.
- The council offers automatic enrolment into the Local Government Pension Scheme and Pension Scheme Memberships, which include generous employer contributions.
- All employees are welcome to book free parking facilities, which will either be on site or within a short distance of their place of work. To support healthier journeys and reduce environmental pollution, the council operates the Cycle to Work Scheme.
- Retail and leisure discounts offer employees a wide range of exclusive discounts, which includes entertainment venues, major supermarkets and over 100 high street chains across the UK.
- Employees who wish to keep active or enjoy leisure facilities have access to a discounted Go Active membership.
- Training and development opportunities are available and allow people to develop themselves professionally.
Pathways to Planning places for Cohort 1
2
Starting salary
£27,852 (likely to increase to £29,777 subject to pay award agreement)
Hybrid working or office based?
You would be required in the office for training, development, and collaboration, and would need to be able to carry out site visits. Some home working will be possible once you are established in post. It is expected that a minimum of 2/3 days a week be spent in the office.
Our Planning Service
At Trafford the planning service is made up of a number of teams which are all interlinked:
- Development Management Team – mainly dealing with the processing of planning applications. Leading on project work, for example delivery of an Area Action Plan for the Civic Quarter
- Strategic Planning Policy Team – leading on Planning Policy
- Planning Compliance Team – responding to and dealing with breaches of planning control and proactive monitoring of development sites.
- Validation Team – receiving and logging planning applications and checking information received against validation checklist.
Benefits of working here
Trafford recognises the importance of staff wellbeing and offer a number of initiatives for staff including mindfulness, mental health first aiders, running & walking groups and health and wellbeing events.
Our great benefits include pension, Home Technology Scheme, Car Lease Scheme, Cycle to Work scheme, Simply Healthcare, Employee Discount Scheme – 'Perks at Work'
We propose to provide graduates with a mentor based on their interests in planning. Their line manager will be the main point of pastoral support for the first 6 months as the graduates ascertain where they would most value a mentor. The line manager will work to identify and arrange this mentoring relationship within the first six months and assist with any changes as necessary over time. You will have the opportunity to work and grow in a people-centred and values based organisation.
Our local area
The Council’s modern, open plan offices are located less than 10 minutes from Manchester City Centre, close to Old Trafford Metrolink Station. The office is located in Old Trafford between the Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground and Manchester United Football Ground and in walking distance to the historic Longford Park. The popular residential areas of Altrincham, Sale, Chorlton and Didsbury are within 15 minutes travel time.
Trafford is a thriving, prosperous and culturally vibrant borough. It forms part of the Manchester Regional Centre, home to Manchester United, Lancashire County Cricket Club, Coronation Street, the Trafford Centre, Imperial War Museum North, excellent schools and Greater Manchester’s most affluent suburbs.
Our graduate role(s)
Graduates will undertake four placements, each lasting between 6-12 months. We anticipate that graduates will gain sustained work experience in the following areas:
- Development Management (including time with the Planning Validation and Urban Design and Heritage teams) (12 months)
- Strategic Planning Policy (9 months)
- Planning Compliance (9 months)
- Development & Estate Team (6 months)
Pathways to Planning places for Cohort 1
1
Starting salary
£26,000
Hybrid working or office based?
Hybrid. We would typically expect a mixture of working in our central office in Birkenhead and an opportunity to work from home where appropriate.
Our Planning Service
Wirral’s Development Management team is responsible for:
- determining planning applications in line with local and national planning policy and against national performance targets
- investigating and resolving breaches of planning control
- tree preservation and upholding the principles of Wirral’s Tree Strategy.
We believe that our brownfield-first strategy will be the catalyst to the wholescale regeneration of the urban area in east Wirral stretching along the Left Bank of the Mersey. The Left Bank includes opportunities along the whole of the waterfront. The scale of Wirral’s regeneration means this is a once in a generation opportunity which the Council is committed to achieving, not just as physical regeneration, but as a community-based movement for change.
We have a unique opportunity to create a true city of the future in Birkenhead. A waterfront city that is digitally connected, sustainable and designed to inspire. A place of innovation and entrepreneurship, where the community thrives, and visitors are offered a distinctive cultural experience.
Our local area
Located within the Liverpool City Region, Wirral is thriving and constantly changing with a vision is to create equity for people and place and opportunities for all; to secure the best possible future for the residents, communities, and businesses in the area.
With 50 miles of beautiful walks and 22 miles of breath-taking coastline, along with cycle routes and street-art trails, Wirral is a place made for discovery.
Wirral is located between the River Dee and the River Mersey, overlooking both the Welsh Hills and the spectacular Liverpool skyline. We are also currently undertaking the largest and most exciting regeneration project in the UK with the implementation of the Wirral Waters Development and more regeneration projects across the borough.
Our graduate role(s)
We want your placement experience to be positive and an opportunity to learn new skills. Your placement will be led by the Development Management Manager of the service, supported by several team leaders within the department and you will be allocated a buddy to ensure you have full support during the placement duration. We encourage cross working amongst other services in the Council and therefore would make these opportunities available were we can.
Linked opportunities: Regeneration Delivery Team, Trading Standards, Environmental Health, Legal Services, Democratic Services, Licencing Services
Benefits of working here
There has never been a more exciting time to join Wirral Council. Our vision is to secure the best possible future for our residents, defined by the community prosperity we create and supported by our excellent people and services.
We have a range of staff benefits including staff discounts, an excellent pension scheme, immediate life cover and ill-health protection. We have a strong flexible working approach, hybrid working, family-friendly employment initiatives and an annual leave package starting with 28 days leave plus public holidays.
We embrace diversity in our workforce and recognise it is critical to our success. We support an inclusive culture that champions differences and nurtures a sense of belonging.
Useful links
Website: www.wirral.gov.uk
Yorkshire and Humber
Pathways to Planning places for Cohort 1
1
Starting salary
£26,845. The 23/24 national pay award is pending and will be added to this once agreed.
Hybrid working or office based?
The Council promotes a hybrid working environment. Within the Planning Service, officers attend the office for a minimum of two days each week, with up to three days working from home.
Our Planning Service
The Council has one the largest and busiest Planning Departments in the Country dealing with over 6,000 planning decisions each year. We have a mix of urban, rural, and coastal planning challenges, and a huge variety of application types, ranging from house extensions, housing developments, large scale industrial and retail, agricultural development, and more. The Planning Service comprises a number of different teams, including an enforcement team (investigating complaints of work maybe being undertaken without planning consent), a validation team (checking and validating new applications) and specialist teams relating to building conservation, trees, ecology, and highways, and forward planning.
Our graduate role(s)
The post will principally sit within Development Management and the graduate will have the opportunity to work in both the area and strategic teams in order to gain experience. The strategic planning team manages the major schemes above 50 dwellings, 1,000m2, minerals, waste and energy applications and is the Council's lead for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
An opportunity will also be provided to work in the specialist teams. The experience that we can offer will be tailored to the graduates’ own interests and preferences – for example, if the graduate is interested in building conservation and planning enforcement, placements in each team will be provided. Our graduate will be assigned a Planning Manager as their principal mentor, with day-to-day support offered by their Team Leader. The Director will also assist in providing mentor support with a focus on the Council as a whole, including the political dimension, and other Services linked with Planning.
The Council is part of the National Graduate Development Programme (NGDP). The successful candidate would have the opportunity to join NGDP graduates in corporate activities, e.g., meetings with the Leader of the Council, Chief Executive, Members and Senior Officers, to help build their knowledge and awareness of the Council as a whole.
Our local area
The East Riding is a hidden gem – it’s a great place to live, work and do business, with lots of potential and opportunities. It has many unique characteristics and a wide range of built and natural assets such as the varied coastline – which includes some of the highest cliffs in England and home to unique seabird colonies, to some of the lowest lying and fastest eroding – together with beautiful countryside, historic parishes and busy market town high streets with quality shops and restaurants. All of which is in close proximity and connected to the two historic cities of York and Hull and the Humber estuary providing huge opportunities to drive further ongoing economic growth in the area, especially in the field of net zero carbon reduction and green energy provision.
With low commute to work times, lower than average house prices, a fantastic choice of towns, villages, and areas of unrivalled natural beauty – whatever a great quality of life means to you, we’re pretty sure you’ll find it here.
Benefits of working here
We value our employees and want to be able to offer benefits that really make a difference.
We offer a generous local government pension scheme, paid professional subscriptions (e.g. RTPI), support for CPD and other training opportunities, and discounted leisure centre membership. Our range of loans and salary sacrifice schemes help you travel for less, and the My East Riding Rewards scheme provides staff shopping and discounts. For a full range of staff benefits, visit: What we offer (eastridingcouncil.jobs)
Useful links
- Website: www.eastriding.gov.uk
- Twitter: @East_Riding
- Instagram: @eastridingcouncil
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/eastridingcouncil
- YouTube: www.youtube.com/@EastRidingofYorkshireCouncil
- LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/east-riding-of-yorkshire-council
Pathways to Planning places for Cohort 1
1
Starting salary
£26,358.
Hybrid working or office based?
North Lincolnshire Council Officers are hybrid working with set office and site visit days.
Our Planning Service
Significant infrastructure, housing and regeneration investment is taking place within North Lincolnshire. Forming part of the Humber Energy Cluster, the Development Management Team are working on a number of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, bringing the area to the forefront of energy related transformation and port-centric related activity through the development of the Humber Freeport and a variety of decarbonisation projects.
The Development Management Team is a friendly and ambitious service. You will join a team used to working collaboratively with colleagues across our organisation.
Our graduate role(s)
While based at the council, our graduate will do three placements, each lasting roughly 12 months. We anticipate these being in the following areas:
- Development Management (12 months)
- Spatial Planning (12 months)
- Specialist areas & Regeneration (i.e., Housing, planning enforcement, ecology, archaeology, conservation, highways and drainage etc) (12 months)
Alongside this, time will be allocated for the graduates to shadow existing planning officers to develop knowledge during their placement.
We anticipate the graduate will spend the equivalent of three days per week based in this role, where they will be supported to work on a range of policy areas. For the equivalent of one day each week, the graduate will work on a project with our Development Management Lead and/or our Investment and Delivery Lead, learning how to manage caseloads and process applications as well as having a small individual caseload and exposure to planning committee. Whilst in Spatial Planning the role will shadow senior planning officers involved in progressing the local plan through Examination in Public and see how planning inspectors operate. We will reserve the last day of the week for the graduate’s learning and development. Until they start the qualification, we will try to use this time to support the graduate shadowing senior members of staff and attending meetings with councillors.
They will have a named workplace mentor which may be their line manager, or a ‘buddy’ - another employee who has recently graduated with a planning (or similar) degree. North Lincolnshire Council’s HR/Learning and Development Team officers have also agreed to mentor the graduate on more generic career development issues. The mentor will work with the graduate to identify and arrange suitable work shadowing, training, and development
Our local area
North Lincolnshire is a rural county with picturesque villages and within easy reach of the North East, Yorkshire and the East Midlands. North Lincolnshire is known for our masses of green space, good and outstanding schools, and excellent housing offer.
People can enjoy extensive footpaths, cycleways, open spaces and 66 public gardens and parks, five of which have Green Flag status. There are a wide range of sport, leisure and cultural venues that promote local history and heritage. Across North Lincolnshire, there are just under 77,000 homes situated across 86 settlements, ranging from the busy urban centre of Scunthorpe to tranquil rural hamlets. The average house price is lower than the national average.
Benefits of working here
An attractive relocation package, excellent CPD opportunities, Local Government Pension Scheme, salary sacrifice scheme, agile working arrangements.
Pathways to Planning places for Cohort 1
2
Starting salary
£28,900 in year one, rising to £29,439 in year two. This will increase as part of the 2023/24 annual pay review.
Hybrid working or office based?
We feel that it is important to attend the office to foster collaboration and team working, and to ensure staff feel supported. We therefore anticipate successful candidates being in the office 40 per cent of their working week. Employees may also attend the office more regularly if they wish.
Our Planning Service
We are passionate about promoting the diversity of our communities and our city and believe in the importance of collaboration to get things done across the council, with our partners, and with the community. Our Planning Service sits within the City Futures Directorate which has responsibilities across several exciting areas, including City Regeneration and the City Council’s Climate Response Unit.
The Planning Service has responsibility for:
- Development Management, whose responsibilities include the assessment and determination of planning applications across developments of all scales, as well as providing expert advice on subjects such as urban design, conservation, and public art.
- Strategic Planning, the key function of which is the development of the Sheffield Local Plan, the strategic policy document that sets out how the city will develop across the next 15 years. This team also leads on the development of masterplans for new city centre neighbourhoods.
- Building Control, which manages commercial activity associated with considering technical building control applications across developments of all scales and undertaking statutory public safety functions around matters such as safety of sports grounds and dangerous structures.
Our graduate role(s)
We feel privileged to have been chosen to support this programme and are extremely keen to ensure our two graduates are given different experiences across all our Planning Teams. We also want to ensure you spend meaningful time with other teams within the City Futures Directorate, such as our City Regeneration Team.
We want you as a successful candidate to help shape a future programme and are committed to the principal that this process is about supporting candidates into the right area of specialism for their future. Our focus will be on giving that rounded experience, so you are able to make confident longer term career decisions.
Our local area
- Sheffield is a diverse, inclusive, vibrant and cosmopolitan City. It is England’s greenest city with a third of Sheffield in the Peak District National Park, and is the home of football and national sporting venues such as the Institute of Sport.
- It boasts a thriving city centre nightlife including Kelham Island and The Leadmill.
- It offers a wide range of music and festival events including ‘Off the Shelf Festival of Words’ (one of the UK’s largest literary festivals), Tramlines music festival and DocFest. Sheffield City Hall and Sheffield Arena host concerts from renowned international artists.
- Sheffield is the home to two leading Theatres: The Lyceum and The Crucible which recently hosted the film premiere of Everyone’s Talking About Jamie and annually hosts the World Snooker Championships.
- It is easy to get around in Sheffield and to other places with excellent bus and tram services and great rail links.
Benefits of working here
- Annual leave - The annual leave entitlement is 26 days, increasing to 31 days after 5 years’ continuous local government service.
- Pension Scheme - The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) is a valuable part of your reward package and SCC also currently contribute 19 per cent monthly.
- Early Careers Network - Connects those who have just started their careers at the council. It offers socialising and networking opportunities as well as support.
Useful links
- www.sheffield.gov.uk
- Heart of the city Sheffield (heartofsheffield.co.uk)
- https://whatmakessheffield.com/
- Twitter: @sheffcouncil
- Instagram: @sheffieldcitycouncil
- www.facebook.com/SheffCityCouncil/
- www.youtube.com/user/SheffieldCCouncil
East Midlands
Pathways to Planning Places Cohort 1
1
Starting salary
£27,334
Hybrid working or office based?
The post is defined as a hybrid worker, giving flexibility around your working pattern. Normally you will be expected to be in the office two days a week, the remainder being from home.
Our Planning Service
Nottingham Planning service has the following teams:
Two area-based Development Management teams, which make decisions on and negotiate changes to planning applications, undertake pre-application discussions, among other things. This also includes enforcement where there has been a breach of planning regulations.
A Planning Policy team, responsible for preparing the local plan, supplementary planning documents and other policy documents, and providing policy advice on planning applications.
A Heritage and Urban Design team, responsible for listed buildings consents, providing advice on design and heritage matters, preparing design briefs, and preparing and maintaining Nottingham’s Design Quality Framework.
Our graduate role
You will be expected to work within all the teams mentioned above. Usually you will work within one of the teams for a minimum period of six months, before moving onto another. This will give you a breadth of experience and knowledge and will enable you to undertake a range of planning roles to help you decide how to progress your career in the future.
Our local area
Nottingham is one of the 8 English ‘Core Cities’, with ambitious plans for future growth and an exciting pipeline of development opportunities, including the redevelopment of the Broad Marsh centre and the Island site which are transforming the city centre. With its two universities, it is a vibrant and exciting place to live, work and enjoy, and has all the facilities you would expect of a city of this size, including a fantastic leisure and retail offer.
Nottingham prides itself as the home of world class sporting facilities, being the home of Trent Bridge Cricket Ground, Nottingham Forest FC, Notts County FC, the National Watersports Centre at Holme Pierpont, as well as a wide range of other sporting and leisure facilities. It is also within easy reach of Sherwood Forest and the Peak District, all of which combine to give a fabulous quality of life.
Benefits of working here
As well as a generous leave allowance starting at 26 days, access to the Local Government Pension Scheme, and flexible working options, you will also be able to access a range of benefits through the Council’s ‘Works Perks’ scheme providing discounts for various shops, restaurants, travel, and entertainment.
Useful links
West Midlands
Pathways to Planning places for Cohort 1
2
Starting salary for this role
£26,425
Working pattern and location
Our central office is District House, Frog Lane, Lichfield WS13 6HS.
Our employees are based in the office a minimum of 2 days per week. All equipment will be provided for home and office working, including a laptop and mobile phone.
Our Planning Service
Our graduates will gain a wide range of experience within our planning service. They will help with the pre-application phase, and learn to process all different types of planning applications. They will learn about the validation of applications, how to manage enquiries and deal with planning enforcement. Our graduates will have the opportunity to present a planning committees when required and will answer queries from Members and Members of Parliament.
Our graduate roles
We have recently launched our new Planning School at Lichfield District Council.
We have already supported 5 planning apprentices starting their post-graduate journeys with the Universities of Westminster and Birmingham.
We are expanding our programme in line with our restructure and seeking graduates who are forward-thinking and eager to work for an organisation who like to do things differently and disrupt the status quo!
Graduates will be supported by experienced officers and mentored by the Head of Planning through this process.
Our local area
• Our local area offers an excellent work life balance, working in a friendly authority where everyone knows everyone.
• We offer a fabulous opportunity to work in one of the most beautiful parts of the UK, surrounded with rich history and beautiful buildings
• Litchfield has excellent links to other major cities including, Birmingham, Sheffield, Liverpool and the Peak District.
• It’s also an excellent place to live with a variety of restaurants, bars and takeaways and independent shops and weekend markets.
Useful links
Pathways to Planning Places Cohort 1
1
Starting salary
£27,344
Hybrid working or office based?
Employees will be expected to Hybrid work with a minimum of 1 day per week based at the office. This will be subject to training requirements and will be tailored accordingly. All equipment required for working from home will be provided.
Our Planning Service
Our team deliver a full range of services that include:
Planning - Managing and processing planning applications for all scales of development within Telford, ensuring that development is compliant with national legislation and local policy.
Planning Enforcement - Protecting the public and the environment by ensuring compliance with both Planning & Enforcement legislation as well as planning conditions.
Ecology and Green Infrastructure - Providing specialist guidance and recommendations on ecology and green infrastructure in relation to planning applications. Working alongside a wide range of stakeholders within the development process providing expert ecological advice.
Built Heritage Conservation - Delivering specialist conservation management advice in relation to all aspects of the historic built environment, such as Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas when considering planning applications, and preparing of planning policy.
Planning Policy - Preparing development plan strategy, objectives and policies for the Borough ensuring compliance with the statutory planning framework
World Heritage Site Management - Delivering strategic and technical advice to stakeholders within the World Heritage Site as well as managing the delivery of the adopted WHS management plan and leading on necessary periodic reviews.
Our graduate role
As part of the Development Management Team, our graduate will benefit from a coordinated programme of learning and ongoing support from a designated mentor.
We will deliver a full range of learning activities enabling the candidate to understand the entire Planning process. This will include practical experience with our Development Specialists, including Ecologists, Built Heritage Conservation and Healthy Spaces. There will also the opportunities to attend Planning Appeal Hearings and Planning Committtee.
You will also spend time with the Planning Enforcement Team, investigating breaches of regulations and the legal processes undertaken, including opportunities to attend Court.
There will also be the opportunity to work within the Planning Policy Team, where you will gain an understanding of legislation. With flexibility at the end of your placements you will have the opportunity to shape your career by focusing on areas of interest, supporting your own passions.
Our local area
Sitting in the heart of Shropshire, Telford is the gateway between the Midlands and Wales. With excellent transport links, a vibrant town centre and night-time economy the Borough is rich in heritage and natural beauty, offering enticing lifestyle opportunities and leisure activities.
As the birthplace for the Industrial revolution, the Ironbridge Gorge, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site is located within Telford. Our team are dedicated to the enhancement and preservation of this precious area, with Ironbridge recently being recognised as one of the Top 5 places in the country to live.
As a New Town, committed to providing inspirational development balanced with the natural environment, Telford has 17 Local Nature Reserves and 3.8 times the national standard of walkable accessible open green space per 100 residents, we have a passion for creating sustainable, safe environments to live, work and visit.
Benefits of working here
Flexible working scheme and 24 days annual leave, enrolment onto the Local Government Pension Scheme, health and wellbeing support from our Employee Assistance Scheme and Healthy Lifestyle Team, and various discount and salary sacrifice schemes.
East of England
Pathways to Planning Places Cohort 1
2
Starting salary
£26,000
Hybrid working or office based?
Hybrid. We also have a modern office building with flexible spaces for collaborative working and free tea and coffee, making a trip into the office really worthwhile.
Our Planning Service
Our service assess all planning applications made by homeowners or developers ranging from extensions to homes, or building 4,000 homes. We also receive planning applications changing or building new employment and community spaces. We have a Chilterns Beechwoods Special Area of Conservation (SAC) which 1,300 hectares, reaching into neighbouring local authorities. It is protected for its beech forests, semi-natural dry grasslands and scrub, and its population of stag beetles.
The Planning service also deal with enforcement complaints, when someone is changing a building, operating a business, or building something without planning permission. We have a conservation and urban design team who make sure policies and planning applications preserve our special and historic conservation areas as well as designing for the future.
The strategic planning and Infrastructure teams look at the longer term planning for the borough, up to 2040 and onwards to 2050. They look at the number of homes we need each year, consider the land available for homes, and which sites would be most appropriate.
Our graduate roles
We have two graduate positions, both working in our Strategic Planning and Infrastructure service. The work programme will include finalising evidence ready for the submission of the local plan, and working on our large scale growth project, Hemel Garden Communities.
The team will also be working on delivering infrastructure as well as planning for future infrastructure. This may include finalising a local cycle walking implementation plan and delivering a bike hire scheme. There will be a range of people available to mentor and many are skilled coaches.
Our local area
- Close to London for the buzz and the Chiltern Area of Outstanding natural Beauty and Grand Union Canal for leisure!
- Excellent things to visit in the area and close by, Berkhamsted market town, Tring home of the Natural History Museum, and Watford with the Harry Potter Studio Tour is less than 10 minutes away on the train.
Benefits of working here
- Local Government Pension Scheme with employer contributions of 18.5 per cent
- 32 days annual leave plus bank holidays, option to purchase additional annual leave
- Discounted car parking during work time, interest free season ticket loans
- Remote and flexible working, access to Kaarp benefits website, car salary sacrifice scheme, 15 per cent discount at Everyone Active centres
- Confidential counselling and welfare service, support from Wellbeing and Mental Health Advisers, free eye tests, cycle-to-work scheme
- Local business discounts
- Use of standing desks, occupational health support for all staff, and a range of activities to support health and wellbeing, including mindfulness, yoga, and walking group
- Generous maternity, paternity, and adoption leave. We are recognised as an Employer with Heart for supporting parents of premature babies.
- Flexible working arrangements to include career breaks and study leave, training and development opportunities, e-learning portal with access to a variety of courses and learning opportunities.
Useful links
Pathways to Planning Places Cohort 1
1
Starting salary
£26,845 (up to £28,371)
Hybrid working or office based?
In terms of working arrangements, the councils operate hybrid working systems.
Our Planning Service
You will be able to gain experience across a number of different teams:
Spatial Planning at the county level
This team is involved in developing a vision and a number of strategic planning policies to guide future development across the whole county.
Planning Policy at the borough level
This team is responsible for the creation of planning policies which are designed to guide future development in the Borough, including how much development there should be and where it should go. It supports to determination of planning applications.
Development Management
Through the application of planning policies, these teams are responsible for overseeing the planning application process. This will include early engagement with applicants and leading them through the technical process to determination of their planning application.
Regeneration
This team is responsible for overseeing a number of projects which aim to regenerate the town of Stevenage. With a number of live town centre projects already underway, this experience will enable the applicant to be involved in the real-time delivery of projects which aim to enhance the physical, social, and economic fabric of the Borough.
Growth and infrastructure
This team is responsible for overseeing the county’s interest in the development of land on behalf of the infrastructure services they represent. This includes engagement with highways, education teams, the waste authority, libraries, fire and rescue and other county council teams.
Our graduate role
Our mentoring plan
Across Hertfordshire, we place mentoring at the heart of staff development. We will provide our graduate with a mentor based on their interests within planning. We commit to giving the graduates exposure to key projects happening in the council’s planning teams during their main placements, including opportunities to shadow senior members of staff, gain experience with councillors, and more.
Our work experience proposal
We anticipate that graduates based in the council will gain sustained work experience in the following areas:
Planning Policy (6 months), Regeneration (6 months), Development Management (6 months) Spatial Planning (6 months), Growth and Infrastructure Unit (6 months), Property Services (6 months)
During the placement we would expect that the graduate would spend time with other service areas to gain a more rounded experience of the Councils’ functions and activities.
Our local area
Surrounded by the leafy countryside of Hertfordshire, Stevenage is a town steeped in rich heritage and culture, with a long history spanning back to Saxon times. There’s lots to think about when you’re living or working in the area.
The town’s design means it has a great range of parks and open spaces in all areas, including our 120 acre Fairlands Valley Park with a series of four lakes, water sports and a splash park and our Town Centre Gardens. The Arts and Leisure Centre houses the Gordon Craig Theatre, sports facilities and a gym. The town also boasts its own swimming pool, golf centre and over 45 km of dedicated cycleways. The mainline Stevenage train station is also centrally located.
Benefits of working here
- Pension scheme, flexible working, 25 days holiday
- An extensive range of learning and development opportunities
- Employee Assistance Programme – 24/7 Confidential advice and support on personal, work, family and relationship issues
- Season ticket loans and discounts for public transport, Cycle to Work scheme
- Stevenage Credit Union: secure savings, free life insurance and access to cheap loans
- Employee discounts, Discounted Health and Fitness membership.
Useful links
Websites
X (formerly Twitter)
YouTube
Pathways to Planning Places Cohort 1
1
Starting salary
£26,357
Hybrid working or office based?
Norwich City Council operates a hybrid working policy whereby employees are expected to work around 50 per cent of their time in the office, and 50 per cent of their time at home.
Our Planning Service
Our planning team sits within Planning & Regulatory Services and is made up of Planning Policy (writing and monitoring policies), the Landscape team (implementing public realm schemes and commenting on planning applications), the Planning Projects team (deciding major planning applications and shaping regeneration proposals), Planning Applications team (deciding smaller planning applications), and the Conservation & Design team (protecting the city’s historic buildings).
Our graduate role
While based at Norwich City Council, our graduate will do four placements, each lasting roughly 9 months. We anticipate that graduates based in the council will gain sustained work experience in the following areas:
Planning Policy (9 months), Development Management (9 months), Development Strategy (9 months), and specialism to be chosen by the graduate (9 months) - our graduate could return to any of the teams mentioned or could choose to specialise in another related team, i.e., Design & Conservation, Landscape, Sustainable Transport.
At Norwich City Council, we usually provide new staff with a mentor to assist with their development. We will provide our graduate with a mentor relevant to each work placement. The line manager will work to identify and arrange this mentoring relationship within the first month and assist with any changes as necessary over time.
Our local area
It’s not difficult to understand why Norwich consistently ranks among the best places to live in the UK.
England’s first UNESCO City of Literature manages to strike a happy balance between celebrating its rich heritage while creating a modern and vibrant place to live, work and study. To find out more about living and working in Norwich visit workinnorwich.co.uk.
The city is home to no fewer than 1,500 historic buildings, a 900-year-old cathedral, a castle and cutting edge architecture such as Goldsmith Street, the first social housing scheme to win the prestigious Stirling Prize. A short trip away are some of the UK’s best beaches.
This year’s Sunday Times Best Places to Live index described Norwich as ‘a fashionable city with a growing sense of cool and a reputation for architecture, style and innovation’. It has been listed as one of the most hipster cities around and crowned the UK’s most vegetarian and vegan-friendly city.
Benefits of working here
- Norwich City Council offers the opportunity to work with great people who are passionate about promoting Norwich and the services the council provides.
- All employees are eligible to join the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)
- Paid holiday entitlement starts at 26 days per annum and increases with length of service to a maximum of 33 days per annum.
- In addition to the statutory public holidays, we grant an additional statutory day leave at Christmas.
- Norwich City Council supports its employees through the provision of occupational health and employee assistance support.
London
Pathways to Planning Places Cohort 1
1
Starting salary
£ 31,731
Hybrid working or office based?
Planning Officers are expected to attend the office a minimum of two days a week on a Tuesday and Wednesday. They can come in every day if they prefer.
Our Planning Service
- Our Planning team is one of the largest and busiest in the country and currently comprises of approx. 100 staff including 60 professional planners. We also employ a growing number of specialist officers including in the fields of ecology, sustainability, urban design, heritage, and arboriculture.
- Our Planning Policy team is currently supporting the final stages of developing our local plan, which is expected in 2024, which aims to ensure the borough retains the qualities that make it attractive, while also accommodating the needs of future generations for new homes, jobs and infrastructure. The team also provides guidance on planning applications, and works with partners at sub-regional, regional, and national levels in shaping and interpreting new guidance.
- Our Planning Enforcement and Compliance team is regularly the most active in the country when it comes to taking formal enforcement action. It is a multi-award-winning team that keeps on innovating to seek ways to identify and resolve breaches of planning control to improve the lives of our residents.
- The number of planning applications processed by our Development Management team is in the top 10 nationally and second in London after Westminster. The team processes an incredibly varied range of applications which might include proposals to make small alterations to listed buildings, changes of use, or construction of new homes.
- Our Major Projects team deal with a large variety of strategically significant sites, many of them underutilised brownfield sites.
- We have a team that specifically supports the delivery of the Brent Cross Cricklewood programme which is the biggest redevelopment and growth programme Barnet Council has ever undertaken.
Our graduate role
- Staff have a dedicated line manager, who focuses on their career and personal development, and then other managers called ‘Decision Managers’ who focus on case management. This structure allows staff to experience different specialisms in the service, but still have the consistency of support with their line manager. We also have a dedicated Pre-application and Fast Track team, and our graduates have the opportunity to shadow and be involved with in pre-application meetings to give them exposure to more complex application types which they would not usually deal with until later in their career.
- Each member of staff who starts with us in Barnet is assigned two buddies, one who has been working with us for between 6 months to a year and another more senior buddy. That way they will immediately build relationships with colleagues at different levels and feel part of the team.
Our local area
- Excellent work life balance – Barnet is minutes from central London but also has multiple town centres. The borough also boasts amazing green spaces and even farms and countryside walks! Our team is very large and very friendly with lots of opportunities to engage with cool colleagues.
- Our office is close to a growing number of restaurants in Colindale, including Bang Bang Oriental Foodhall which is the largest Asian food court in London and boasts the widest range of specialist Asian restaurants in the whole of the UK.
Benefits of working here
- 31 days annual leave, access to the Local Government Pension Scheme, lifestyle discounts from major retailers, supermarkets, energy suppliers and more.
- Broad range of payroll benefits including cycle to work, eye care vouchers, travel and gym membership, excellent training and development opportunities, and employee wellbeing training programs including confidential employee assistance.
Useful links
Pathways to Planning Places Cohort 1
1
Starting salary
Circa £30k
Hybrid working or office based?
We expect officers to be in the office, but they are also able to work from home - we support hybrid and flexible working.
Our Planning Service:
Haringey has an award-winning planning service – winning accolades for our community engagement and our work shaping a key housing development. We frequently get positive feedback from our stakeholders – they say “A massive shout out must go to the fantastic Officers at Haringey Council. They have been pragmatic and proactive throughout the planning process and just a genuine pleasure to work with!”
Our Planning service is delivering major regeneration and placemaking in Tottenham and Wood Green, as well as top-quality design and heritage improvements. We are embedded in the Council’s Placemaking & Housing Directorate and lead on tackling Climate Change across the borough and delivering Walking, Cycling and Transport infrastructure, as well as overseeing Building Control. We’ll make sure you get exposure across the Council to make the best from the Pathways to Planning experience.
Our graduate role
“There’s an empty seat for you at Haringey. A place to develop your career.”
At Haringey Council, we will provide two main placements for our graduate. They will spend a year in Development Management and a year in Planning Enforcement & Appeals, with the third year to be allocated based on business needs and their interests.
We commit to giving the graduate exposure to other key projects and functions - we have a number of significant regeneration projects, and the graduate would have the opportunity to attend key meetings for these projects. There would also be opportunities to shadow senior members of staff, gain experience with councillors, and have exposure to sustainability and carbon management, and the delivery of our Council housing programme.
Haringey has a long established mentoring programme to ensure the continuous growth of the team. A mentor would be assigned from our pool of Principal Officers, who will be their main point of pastoral support, we would also appoint a ‘buddy’ from our pool of recent graduates to be on hand support for questions and queries.
Our local area
Working here isn’t just about the sense of fulfilment you’ll get from your work – Haringey the place has a huge amount to offer. Our fantastic transport connections mean we are just minutes away from central London, and there is so much to do in the borough itself. Haringey buzzes with entertainment, attitude, artistic and cultural life – through its pubs, clubs, cinemas, theatres, arts centres, community groups and even festivals.
A tour through the borough reveals how much is on offer. Go west where you can sample village life in Highgate; browse the independent shops in Muswell Hill, or tuck into a meal at one of Crouch End’s countless international restaurants. Hop on a bus to the legendary Alexandra Palace – the birthplace of the BBC – and enjoy breath-taking views of London, or enjoy a gig, exhibition, or sports showcase in the Palace itself.
Heading into Green Lanes will bring you to one of London’s liveliest and most culturally diverse neighbourhoods, famed for its tremendous array of restaurants – including award-wining kebab houses – and late-night international grocers. At Wood Green, where major regeneration plans are starting to take shape, you can do a spot of shopping or catch a blockbuster at one of two major cinemas.
A trip to Tottenham will bring you to some of the most exciting parts of the capital, where the benefits of investment are already starting to show at the revamped Tottenham Green and the soon-to-be-completed Spurs stadium development.
And if you need to take a break from it all, Haringey is home to no fewer than 25 Green Flag Award winning parks.
Benefits of working here
We’ve introduced a whole range of benefits, designed to make your life easier. These include:
- Generous annual leave, flexible working, interest free travel loan (season ticket and bicycle loan), Defined Benefit Pension Scheme (Career Average), learning and development courses at work, courses and workshops to offer support and help through change
- Health and wellbeing benefits, Simply Health cash back plans, eye tests
- Reduced entry to leisure centres and gyms, money saving discounts, including, free access to UK’s largest discount website
- Several employee networks (LGBTQ+ Network, EMBRACE (Every Member Becomes Racially Aware and Culturally Educated), Disability and Illness Network, Young People’s Network, Social Mobility Network).
Useful links
Pathways to Planning Places Cohort 1
2
Starting salary
£26,000+
Hybrid working or office based?
We offer a flexible working policy, which allows for office and homeworking.
Your wellbeing and the flexible way in which you can work is and will remain a key priority for Richmond and Wandsworth Councils. We want you to thrive and feel empowered in your work.
Our Planning Service
The Planning & Transportation division falls within the Environment and Community Services Directorate. The Planning service includes Development Management, Planning Enforcement, Planning Policy, Planning Information, and the Conservation/Design services for both Councils.
Our graduate roles
We have exciting opportunities for graduates within our Planning sections in both Richmond and Wandsworth. We allow the opportunity for appointed officers to gain experience within a variety of Planning roles across both boroughs. With excellent communication skills you would assist in ensuring outcomes that reflect the councils’ wider positive objectives and policies of promoting high quality and innovative development while conserving the historic character of both boroughs.
Our local area
Richmond is arguably London’s most attractive borough with the River Thames running for over 10 miles throughout, linking Hampton Court Palace, Richmond and Twickenham town centres and Kew Gardens with London. Richmond boasts Royal Parks and open spaces, historic houses, vibrant town centres bursting with life, as well as being the home of English rugby. With major developments on the horizon, there are exciting opportunities to broaden your experience in such a unique environment.
Wandsworth is a thriving Inner London Borough on the southern banks of the River Thames that is steeped in a diverse history. The borough features landmarks such as the iconic Battersea Power Station, Ram Brewery and Clapham Junction Station, and is acknowledged for its famous green spaces such as Wandsworth and Clapham Commons, Putney Heath, and the Grade II listed Battersea Park.
Benefits of working here
We recognise the importance of a good balance between work and home life so we do everything we can to accommodate flexible working, including working from home (dependent on service needs). We also offer a generous holiday allowance of 40 paid days including bank holidays, and a wide range of learning and development opportunities.
In addition, we offer a comprehensive range of staff benefits such as membership of the Local Government Pension Scheme, childcare vouchers, new technology scheme, interest-free loans on annual travel cards, discounts with many leisure activities, restaurants, shops, and other establishments. A wide range of developmental opportunities are also offered.
Pathways to Planning Places Cohort 1
1
Starting salary for this role
£29,364
Hybrid working or office based?
We have hybrid working arrangements with a minimum of 50% of our working week based in the office.
Our Planning Service
Development Management – responsible for assessing and determining planning applications, pre application enquiries and planning appeals. This part of the service also includes the Enforcement Team who investigate and remedy breaches of planning control, the Arboriculture Team who look after the council’s street trees (approx. 14,000!) and trees in parks and cemeteries.
Spatial Planning – this area includes the Policy Team who prepare our development plan including our Local Plan, Supplementary Planning Documents (SPDs) and guidance documents. The Growth and Delivery Team are focused on optimising land development and economic and housing delivery.
Building Control and Land Charges – this area deals with the safety of buildings including fire safety, street naming and numbering, and land and development charges.
Lastly, we have the Sustainable Design and Heritage Team who support the Development Management Team in assessing planning applications with a particular focus on listed buildings and works in conservation areas.
Our graduate role
We offer a structured work programme for graduates joining us to make sure you are given the right support and training to do your best work. You will be given a ‘buddy’ who will show you the ropes and make sure you know what you need to know when you need to know it.
Over time, you will move through the service spending time in the different teams to gain a full, varied, and well-rounded knowledge of planning.
Throughout, you will also have an opportunity to help shape our planning service, suggesting, designing and implementing changes.
With a strong and supportive team behind you, you will play a key part in the growth and success of the Planning and Place service. You will be joining a high performing, forward thinking, and ambitious planning department that is committed to providing a high quality, effective and responsive service. We will invest time in your professional and personal development, supporting you with your studies and providing you with lots of opportunities and experience.
Our local area
- Kensington and Chelsea is a unique place. We have 4000 listed buildings, 38 conservation areas, distinctive residential neighbourhoods, iconic retail centres like Portobello Road and the King’s Road, a vibrant specialist employment market, an international medical quarter, and world class cultural attractions in the South Kensington Museum quarter.
- We’re home to the wealthy and to some of the most deprived wards in London. We have some of the most engaged communities who care deeply about where they live.
- We have our own ambitious house building programme as well as two Opportunity Areas which will see around 4500 new homes built in the future in new neighbourhoods with the right infrastructure to support the new and existing communities.
- All of this makes RBKC an unparalleled place to work and we are based right in the centre of it, just off Kensington High Street.
Benefits of working here
You can look forward to a package that includes a high-quality pension scheme, season ticket loan/travel allowance and generous annual leave plus bank holidays. The Council has several staff networks including Early Careers, We are Family, Proud (LGBTQ+) and Ability to Thrive (Disability). We also have an extensive Learning and Development Programme which includes a wide range of learning opportunities. In addition to this, the Planning and Place service has its own training and events programme.
Useful links
- Twitter - @RBKC
- Instagram - @kensingtonandchelseacouncil
South East
Pathways to Planning Places Cohort 1
1
Starting salary
£30,422
Hybrid working or office based?
We operate a hybrid working approach for all staff in roles which can be performed from home- with an average of 40 per cent of the working week working from home and 60 per cent in the office.
Our Planning Service
The Planning Policy Team prepares policy and guidance to shape future placemaking in the borough. This includes producing, updating, and implementing the Council’s Local Plan which sets the blueprint for future growth to meet needs, allocating sites for future development, and setting out policies used to determine planning applications. The team also produces supplementary guidance, advice notes and development briefs, and feeds into relevant corporate projects such as the regeneration of Basing View, the Leisure Park and Town centre regeneration.
Our graduate role
Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council is an ambitious authority, delivering a wide range of corporate projects to redevelop parts of the town and support the building of a large quantum of development. The Planning and Infrastructure Service is broadly broken down into two main teams, alongside a newly created Climate Change and Sustainability Service and the graduate would expect to spend time in key professional teams in each service area such that they gain experience with:
- Planning Policy and Infrastructure Team - covering the preparation of a new Local Plan, supporting groups developing Neighbourhood Plans, infrastructure planning and urban design.
- Development Management Team - covering the determination of planning applications, supporting planning appeals, enforcement and compliance, conservation, and the historic environment, among many other things.
- Climate Change and Sustainability Team - supporting the delivery of the adopted Climate Change Strategy and ambitious targets to be a net zero carbon Council by late 2025 and a wider borough by 2030, with a newly introduced Green Team providing front line support to residents and businesses to transition to low carbon alternatives, together with dedicated resources committed to behaviour change and the roll out of EV chargers.
The graduate can expect to be mentored by a senior officer from one of the three teams, in addition to a ‘buddy’ to help to establish relationships and provide day-to-day direction.
Our local area
- An outstanding location: conveniently located for access to London with direct rail links and minutes from the M3.
- Competitive prices: rental costs and living costs cheaper than London and Reading.
- A great place to live: 93 per cent of residents love it here with first class shopping, leisure and cultural activities, including a regionally renowned concert hall, leisure park and vibrant town centre as well as highlights such as the annual Basingstoke festival.
Benefits of working here
Our range of employee benefits include: local government pension scheme, health and wellbeing programme, healthcare cash plan, Employee Assistance Programme, discounts platform, free car parking, salary sacrifice schemes (cars and bicycles), travel discounts, flu vaccination service, travel loans, professional qualification scheme, free tea and coffee.
Useful links
- Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council website homepage
- About our council
- Working for us
- Our recently approved council plan 2023-2027
- Basingstoke & Deane Council’s LGA Peer Challenge Feedback report Nov 2022
- Sustainable Basingstoke website - the council’s climate change campaign
- Love Basingstoke website - why Basingstoke is a fantastic place to work, live and visit
Pathways to Planning Places Cohort 1
1
Starting salary
£25,936 (pay award pending)
Hybrid working or office based?
We currently work in a hybrid way. Officers are expected to be in the office at least one day each week, more depending on the needs of the service. Initially, new starters will be required to be in the office most days during the induction period. We work on a flexi-time basis allowing variable start, finish and lunch times and occasional days or half-days off using accrued flexi-time.
Our Planning Service
We are different. As a county planning authority, we deal with minerals and waste development, as well as roads, schools, libraires and adult social care facilities.
Within the Planning Policy and Development Management Team we deal with the following:
- Planning Policy – formulating waste and minerals plans and other policy documents.
- Determining Planning applications – for minerals extraction and waste management facilities; and the council’s own development proposals.
- Site monitoring of existing minerals sites and waste sites, and enforcement of unauthorised minerals and waste sites.
Dealing with the Council’s own development is also a really important part of what we do. Whether it is a proposal for an extension to an existing school, or dealing with proposals for a completely new school. We can deal with strategic road schemes which can be vital to opening up areas and enabling future development to come forward. It all makes a huge difference.
Our graduate role
Your role within the Planning Policy and Development Management Team will be varied and multi-faceted. Working here means you could be at a school or library, at a quarry or aggregate processing plant, or even down a mine!
You will have the opportunity to work across all the planning disciplines – our graduates will be involved in planning policy, development management (including determining planning applications and providing pre-application advice), and involved in the regular site monitoring of approved minerals and waste sites, as well as supporting the enforcement service.
You will benefit from having the full support of the Team and a mentor to provide support and guidance. With the appropriate support, you will be expected to manage your own caseload and assist with policy work relating to the Waste and Minerals Local Plan.
Our local area
- Fabulous location to work in and a diverse place – we have the coast and countryside right on our doorstep.
- Rich cultural heritage and historic sites throughout the county.
- We have a gypsum mine!
Benefits of working here
- Generous annual leave entitlement - minimum of 25 days annual leave.
- Supported learning and development, including professional development.
- Local Government Pension Scheme, Employee Assistance Programme.
- Staff discount scheme covering shopping, travel, days out/attractions, eating out, technology.
- Social networks and interest groups.
Useful links
South West
Pathways to Planning Places Cohort 1
2
Starting salary
From £26,000
Hybrid working or office based?
We offer flexible hybrid working giving you the opportunity to work in a way that suits you and the team you’ll be joining, balancing service need and individual choice – mixing both home and office working. To help you have a healthy work-life balance we also offer flexi-time.
Our Planning Service
From Brunel to Banksy, Bristol has a long esteemed history of thinking differently and achieving great things. Here you can be part of one of UK’s largest urban regeneration projects: Bristol Temple Quarter – a 100ha area around Bristol Temple Meads station. Our Planning Services together sustainably and inclusively facilitate our great city to continue flourishing in this way.
To this end Bristol City Council’s planning department is dynamic and innovative and there is both great team spirit and a wide range of exciting planning opportunities on offer. The various service areas include:
Strategic City Planning - develops and maintains the planning policy framework for Bristol. Our key focus currently is on the production of the local plan which we expect to submit for examination in early 2024. In this area our graduates provide support to senior officers across a number of key policy areas and have the opportunity to become involved in the Local Plan.
Development Management - responsible for a large number of planning applications. There are also a few Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects which require development management input at times. You will be given the opportunity to work on a large caseload of suitable applications with full support. You will also provide advice to a range of customers and will work with others to deliver inclusive and sustainable communities which shape Bristol for generations to come.
Specialist areas - a crucial part of ensuring an effective end-to-end planning service. They include a wide range such as enforcement, urban design, heritage, and ecology.
Our graduate roles
We envisage that our graduates will spend 1 year in development management and do four six month placements in other planning areas. During their year in development management, they will experience a wide range of casework and undertaking the majority of their casework themselves. There is also the opportunity to get involved on complex and controversial planning applications under the supervision of experienced officers. During the six month placements our grads will also gain sustained work experience in areas such as policy and enforcement. They also have a degree of choice on where to undertake some of their placements.
At Bristol City Council, we have the welfare and growth of our staff at the heart of our operations. We will therefore provide each of our graduates with a mentor based on the graduates’ interests within planning who will remain their point of contact for pastoral support for their duration of the graduate programme.
Our local area
Bristol is consistently rated as one of the best places to live and work in the UK. Join us and you’ll enjoy all the benefits of living and working in one of Europe’s most vibrant cities known for its cultural diversity, with great architecture and stunning views, cultural attractions and a great range of places to eat and drink. With the greatest number of listed buildings outside London this makes it particularly interesting from a planning perspective. The city offers one of the country’s widest selections of performance venues, nightclubs, galleries, and museums. We boast over 400 gardens and parks, and Bristol is also one of Europe’s most bike-friendly destinations. We have great transport links with unrivalled rail and motorway connections and an international airport.
Find out more at Visit Bristol.
Benefits of working here
In addition to flexible working and flexitime, membership of the Local Government Pension scheme and a holiday allowance of 25 days per year, you’ll have access to the full suite of other staff benefits which includes:
- Use of pool bikes and cars to, a paid volunteering day per year, bike loans through a salary sacrifice scheme
- Discounts at council shops and services including our museums and more, discounts across a wide range of leisure vendors from gym memberships to restaurants, childcare voucher scheme
- Access to our Employee Assistance Programme, a free confidential service for all staff
Useful links
- Facebook: Bristol City Council
- Youtube: Bristol City Council
- Youtube Live: Bristol City Council Live
- Twitter: @BristolCouncil
- Instagram: @bristolcouncil
- LinkedIn: Bristol City Council
Pathways to Planning Places
2
Starting salary for this role
£26,000
Hybrid working or office based?
We currently work in a hybrid way; most teams spend 1 or 2 days a week in the office. Graduates would be expected to be more office-based at the beginning to build relationships.
Our Planning Service
Wiltshire is one of the largest and most prosperous counties in the country. It covers over 3,200 square kilometres and is largely rural. It has numerous areas of natural and historic significance, both nationally and internationally. This includes three Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, as well as part of the New Forest National Park and the Stonehenge and Avebury World Heritage Site. Over 12,000 buildings in Wiltshire are listed, of which nearly 1,000 are Grade 1 or Grade 2. The main purpose of the Planning service is balancing economic growth and social and environmental issues, ensuring we are delivering sustainable development.
Our graduate roles
At Wiltshire Council, we will provide two main placements for our graduate(s). They will spend a year in development management and a year in our policy team, with the third year to be allocated based on business needs and, wherever possible, the graduate(s)’ interests. We are also able to provide the graduates exposure to various key projects happening in the council’s planning teams during their main placements, including opportunities to shadow senior members of staff, gain experience with councillors, and have exposure to the delivery key sites, including corporate delivery and regeneration projects, along with other members of staff.
At Wiltshire Council, we have mentoring at the heart of staff development and a well-established mentoring programme. We will provide our graduates with a mentor based on the graduates’ interests within planning, and we can also offer a mentor from elsewhere in the organisation to help them with personal development if they require.
Our local area
• Wiltshire Council was created in 2009 as a unitary authority by bringing together the previous district and county councils. Is currently the third largest planning authority in terms of area and fourth largest unitary council in the terms of population
• Home to over 30,000 military personnel, the largest number in the country
• Wiltshire covers 3,485 km² - Interesting fact- it is just bigger than Luxembourg! And Salisbury plain covers an area the size of the Isle of Wight
Benefits of working here
- 26 days annual leave, rising to 31 after 5 years, plus ability to purchase up to 20 extra days
- Truly flexible working, flexi-time scheme (for most roles) compressed hours, family friendly policies, local government pension scheme
- Subsidised rail, discounted leisure membership, local discounts
- Salary sacrifice schemes - including cycle to work
- Occupational health, learning and training activities
- Carpool – if you need a car for a business trip you can book a car. Our fleet includes fully electric vehicles and ultra-low emissions cars and electric charging points
- Car share scheme
Useful links