The Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities has
announced that it is granting £1.59 million to the Local
Government Association to fund a new scheme to support aspiring
graduates into the planning sector.
The newly launched Pathways to Planning Programme will place
talented graduates in councils, where around 30
people will be able to secure a placement while receiving a
bursary to study towards a planning masters.
The Department will be funding the scheme over two years to
support the LGA in setting up and delivering this programme, to
recruit diverse talent and ensure councils represent the
communities they serve.
Minister for Housing and Planning, said:
“Delivering a modern and efficient planning system is vital in
shaping our neighbourhoods and communities. We want to place the
next generation of planners on the frontline to design
beautiful homes and provide high quality infrastructure
right across the country.
“We are bringing in ground-breaking reforms to speed up the
planning process through the Levelling Up Bill, and it is
essential that local councils are equipped with the right
skills and resources as we continue to level up towns and cities
that people are proud to call home.”
This is part of the Government’s wider work to bolster the
planning system in bringing forward numerous measures through the
Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill to reduce costly delays and
unnecessary bureaucracy that hold up development.
The Government wants to strengthen the ability of local councils
to level up thriving towns and greener neighbourhoods with a new
wave of talented planners with innovative ideas and ambitions for
the communities of tomorrow.
LGA Chairman Cllr James Jamieson said:
“We are incredibly excited to be delivering Pathways to Planning
in collaboration with the Planning Advisory Service (PAS), with
funding provided by DLUHC.
“With more than 20 years of experience bringing graduate talent
into local authorities through the National Graduate Development
Programme for local government (NGDP), we are confident that
Pathways to Planning can add exceptional value to local council
planning teams from day one and build a talent pipeline for the
future.”
Building on this first phase of funding, the scheme will directly
support local councils in recruiting around 200 graduates
with the right skills and necessary training to add significant
value to local planning services.
DLUHC has already funded more than 150 planning bursaries over
the last three years as we continue to support more planning
careers and help local councils recruit staff.
This is demonstrated through our recent announcements where
we provided £340,000 to the Royal Town
Planning Institute to support over 50 disadvantaged
students as well as a £1 million funding boost
to Public Practice to develop skilled planners in local
government).
The LGA has published details of its new scheme online for those
who wish to express an
interest.
