Local Government Association

We are the national voice of local government, working with councils to support, promote and improve

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Chris Poulton MRTPI, Environment Agency

The work I have always found most rewarding is delivering public good – whether that’s working on policies that will have a real impact on speeding up delivery of new infrastructure, delivering a programme to improve capabilities in local authorities, or in government agencies, or setting targets for new homes.

Shaza Brannon MRTPI, Rushcliffe Borough Council

Working in local government is incredibly rewarding and fulfilling; it can be a career for life and is not limited geographically. As local authority town planners, we perform a statutory function, tangibly shaping the place in which we work, for the benefit of our residents now and for future generations.

Dan Janota MRTPI, Natural England

I find it rewarding bringing my technical knowledge and experience to big picture thinking and my experience means I can put myself in local authority planners’ shoes as we reshape how we deliver nationally.

Rhianna Pankhurst, The Planning Inspectorate

What has kept me in the public sector is the sense of purpose and the opportunity to contribute to meaningful outcomes. I value being part of a system that aims to balance growth with community needs and long-term sustainability.

Chris King, CMLI, East Suffolk Council, June 2026

I enjoy having the ability to make a tangible difference to places and communities. We have a unique opportunity to influence how neighbourhoods evolve, helping to balance growth, environmental considerations and community needs. The work is varied, challenging and rewarding, with no two days ever being quite the same.

Transformation capabilities: Data intelligence

Data needs to be used effectively to inform and prioritise transformation activity, to track progress and to provide service, customer and organisational insights that drive and enable evidence-based change.

Top tips for chief executives

The role of the chief executive in ensuring good governance and assurance practice is paramount. These top tips are designed to support chief executives to keep at ‘front of mind’ the key elements of good governance and assurance.

Challenge 1: Newcastle City Council

It’s January 2024, and the return of the LGA’s officer leadership development programme and annual competition, the Local Government Challenge. For challenge one, our cohort of 10 officers, participating from councils all over the country, headed to Newcastle City Council in the North East.

Discharge to recover and then assess

John Bolton is a former director of social services and a former strategic finance director at the Department of Health. For the past decade, John has worked as an independent consultant with health and care systems across the United Kingdom on effective and efficient use of resources, including the most cost-effective way of managing the discharge of older people from hospital. He has been working with the Better Care Fund Support Programme to deliver improvement support to systems.