We are recruiting for several fixed-term opportunities until 31 March 2027, with extension possible but not guaranteed. Secondments are very welcome for these roles. This role is to deliver a new project related to habitat regulations and air quality.
1 x Principal Consultant: Planning.
Grade 6: £60,714 + £4,318 London weighting
Location: Westminster or home-based
About us
The Local Government Association (LGA) is the national membership body for local authorities. We work on behalf of our member councils to support, promote and improve local government.
We are a politically led, cross-party organisation that works on behalf of councils to ensure local government has a strong, credible voice with national government. We influence and set the political agenda on the issues that matter to councils, helping them deliver local solutions to national problems.
We also provide councils with tools and resources to respond to present and emerging challenges and support improvement across the sector.
We value diversity and encourage applications from all sections of the community to this high-profile role.
The position is required to support immediate delivery needs
The organisation is consulting on its operating model
The grade and responsibilities are subject to confirmation
Priority consideration may be given to employees at risk where they have the required qualifications and experience
About Planning Advisory Service
The Local Government Association, working in partnership with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and Natural England, is helping councils to improve their planning services. The Planning Advisory Service (PAS) delivers help, advice and training to officers and councillors across England, designed to help them understand and respond to the Government's reform agenda.
PAS has been operating since 2004 and has a well-established reputation for the quality of its work. We work to improve the capacity and capability of local government teams with an ever-expanding selection of skills, experiences and professions.
We are a majority home-working team, but some of us are based at our Westminster office. Our work can require regular visits to regions and councils, sometimes requiring us to stay away from home. As a result of the LGA restructure, this role is initially offered as a fixed-term post until 31st March 2027.
You will have held senior leadership responsibility for one of the key planning services in local government, whether that's development management, planning policy, or a related function and have a strong track record of delivering complex programmes and services in challenging political environments.
You are confident managing budgets and designing programmes from the ground up, often in policy spaces where the rulebook is still being written. You thrive when working alongside experienced practitioners to co-design solutions, and you're as comfortable facilitating a room of senior officers and elected members as you are rolling up your sleeves on the detail.
Critically, you bring no agenda of your own. You are genuinely, wholeheartedly committed to the improvement of planning services, not for recognition, not to push a particular approach, but because you understand what is at stake for Local Planning Authorities and the communities they serve. You leave your ego and your politics at the door.
What drives you is finding workable, creative solutions to some of the most complex planning challenges facing local government right now and helping councils build the capacity and confidence to sustain them long after you've moved on.
You must have the right to work in the UK. The LGA are unfortunately unable to offer sponsorship visas. Evidence for the right to work in the UK will be requested at the interview stage.
To apply
If you would like to be considered for the role, please complete the online form and include a supporting statement detailing how you meet the criteria for the role before the closing date.
We are shortlisting candidates against the following criteria:
Understanding of Local Government and the LGA’s values
Deep experience of the English planning system and the reform agenda
Experience in problem-solving and working in partnership with a range of stakeholders
Experience of improvement and project management
Experience of public speaking, report writing, analysis and procurement.
Bringing relevant skills and knowledge that complement and widen the PAS team’s strengths. For this role we are looking for people with experience of habitat regulations, mitigation and creative solutions to environmental issues.
Closing date: 17th April 2026
Interviews: 27th and 28th April 2026, in person at 18 Smith Square
At the LGA we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Our recruitment decisions are based on fair, open competition, with appointment on merit. The LGA are proud to be awarded a “Disability Confident Leader”. If you are require an reasonable adjustment, which is a change to the format or conditions of the recruitment process to accommodate any disability-related needs you may have. Please contact us via recruitment@local.gov.uk
Our benefits
LGA annual leave entitlement is 29 days, rising to 31 days after three years’ service and to 33 days after five years’ service, plus all UK public holidays (pro rata for fixed-term and part-time contracts). *
Flexible & agile working – office-based staff are required to work in the LGA’s London office two days per week as a minimum, subject to business need and this may vary significantly between different roles and from week to week.
Future development – face-to-face and virtual courses are scheduled in line with developmental goals
The LGA offers 24/7 access to a free, confidential employee assistance programme managed by Health Assured. This service is also available for Dependants.
Family-friendly policies
For more of LGA’s benefits and working with us, please view our webpage https://www.local.gov.uk/benefits-and-working-lga
Our values & behaviours
Our Values and Behaviours are there to give us an understanding of who we are as an organisation and who we want to be. They are a framework to help us understand:
how we work with each other
how we work with our members and stakeholders
our expectations for ourselves and each other
Our values are:
Collaboration – We value collaboration, to pursue shared goals by encouraging and utilising diverse perspectives and working with internal and external colleagues across the organisation.
Inclusion – We value inclusion, where everyone feels valued, understood, and supported to contribute meaningfully.
Ambition – We value ambition, reflecting our desire to achieve best possible outcomes for local government, communities, and individuals.
Respect – We value respect, to ensure fairness, recognition, and shared accountability.
