WIREDGOV

The Local Government Association (LGA) is offering councils financial support to help boost their planning capacity through the latest Pathways to Planning initiative.  

Pathways to Planning – which is in its second year – provides local planning authorities with a pipeline of talented, supported, new planners, who can make a difference. Almost 90 graduate planners started work through the programme last year, and its current recruitment process has seen more than 2,000 graduates start an application.  

For the first time, as part of this scheme, the LGA is able to offer councils salary bursaries to cover part or all of a graduate planner’s salary to help create new positions in their planning teams.  

The programme will channel £4.5 million of government funding into salary bursaries for councils to create these new planning roles.  

This funding comes as a two-year grant to selected local authorities in September 2025, allowing councils to fund their graduate’s salary for the duration of a part-time master’s degree.   

Postgraduate study is also funded by the programme and will upskill these new planners to chartered status, creating a necessary pipeline of chartered planners for local authorities.  

Graduates applying to the programme must pass a rigorous four-stage process to secure a place on the programme, ensuring councils can attract top talent with this offer.  

Cllr Abi Brown OBE, Chair of the LGA’s Improvement and Innovation Board, said, said:  

“We urge councils to seize this opportunity with both hands, it’s a great way to bring in excellent talent at the exact right time.   

“There is a significant ongoing and historic challenge with resourcing planning teams and retaining staff with necessary specific skills across the country, with nearly two-thirds of councils relying on agency staff to address capacity and skills gaps.    

“With the additional financial support provided for councils, this is a great opportunity to fill in capacity gaps without the full price tag.”  

The LGA is seeking to make this as convenient and as efficient as possible for councils and their relevant teams, recognise the challenges that many councils face in taking on new graduates and staff.   

As such, the Pathways to Planning scheme has been designed to be user-friendly and straightforward.   

Time is running out to apply, and all expressions of interest for salary bursaries must be received by 21 March 2025.  

To find out more information please visit or contact: www.local.gov.uk/pathways-planning-council-info / pathways.planning@local.gov.uk