What I find most rewarding is the ability to solve problems to make things better and ultimately make a difference. Whether that’s unsticking a stuck housing site, getting more investment into our council homes, or getting political support for a new project. The difference it makes to people through homes, jobs and infrastructure is why I do it.
Career journey and role
My journey into the sector comes from a background in art and design where my interest in the impact of our homes on us ultimately resulted in my dedication to creating great places and homes. After graduating I worked in publishing for a few years before reflecting that I wanted to make a difference to the places around me. At that time, I was in London and I discovered there was a shortage of planners, so I decided that was the path in for me. I persuaded a mildly reluctant Westminster University that yes, despite my unrelated undergraduate degree , I was sure I could pass a Town Planning (MA) and they said I could have a place if I could get a related job. I will never not be grateful to Brentwood Borough Council for taking a chance on an overly enthusiastic, non-expert that turned up at their door in 2003 and getting my first break as an Assistant Planner. I then grew my career starting in Enforcement and Development Management through mainly LA roles in outer London before returning home to Cornwall in 2008.
Since then, I have forged a varied and successful career at Cornwall Council. This has included working across a range of roles from policy and strategy to development management, regeneration and housing. A significant amount of my work has been focused on the delivery of largescale projects most notably West Carclaze Garden Village which has been progressed from a concept to delivery. Leading the delivery of Local Plans documents and various strategies. My current role has now widened from its planning roots to include a broader housing involvement including oversight of existing and new Council Homes. I am a Non-executive Director for Public Practice which is enabling me to use my knowledge to inspire future place leaders.
My day to day job involves flippantly lots of meetings! But seriously very varied, I can go from talking about planning committee items, to meeting developers who want to bring forward major housing developments to leading projects to reduce our use of temporary accommodation for homeless households. No two days are ever the same, and there continues to be many learning and growth opportunities which keeps me motivated.
Because of my different pathway in, once I’d got my first break, I was conscious I had a lot to learn. I had a really brilliant, wise and tolerant line manager at the time who provided lots of support and set me off with good foundations.
Value of working in local government
Local Government can be challenging, it’s no secret that finances are tight but there are a myriad of benefits, you will be working with local communities, there are opportunities to do different things, there is flexibility in how you work and you will get the absolute great grounding to start a planning career.
Chartership
I juggled the APC route whilst working many years ago, if you want to do it, I would recommend doing it early. There are lots of varied organisations that can support your development in recent years because my job has broadened to include housing, I am now also a members of the Chartered Institute of Housing.
Advice
Say yes to as many different opportunities you can.
Listen, learn and absorb from all the people you meet along the way.
Be curious and don’t be afraid to ask questions.
I would tell my younger self to be more confident!