Local Government as a Career

Local government touches the lives of everybody, every day.

If you’re passionate about making a real difference, then local government is the place for you.  Local government is the backbone of our communities, protecting our most vulnerable residents.

Working in local government is incredibly rewarding and an excellent way to give back to your community.

It isn’t just council tax and bin collections – the sector provides more than 800 different services. These services include areas like health and social care, housing, children and young people, the environment and culture.

Who works in local government?

The primary decision-makers in local councils are the councillors that are elected by local voters. However, these guys are supported by a huge range of dedicated professionals.

Understandably, all local councils need to be run smoothly and effectively. Consequently, you could move into an administrative support role; you could be managing personnel issues within an HR department; you could be using your knowledge of maths and economics within a financial management role; you could be using your marketing expertise to publicise local initiatives and policies; or you could be keeping the council’s computer systems up-to-date and fully functional as part of a dynamic I.T. team.

If you want to have more of an active input in the formulation of council policies, you could look into becoming a research analyst who is dedicated to understanding local community needs, conducting research studies and passing on information that influences decision-making processes.

What skills do we look for in local government?

Due to the variety of career paths in local government, all kinds of skills are useful when delivering vital services to the community.

Teamwork - Local government work often involves teams of people who bring different strengths to a project. Many local government roles give you the chance to work closely with other people.

Planning and organisation - Delivering vital services needs people who are ready and willing to plan and organise projects. If you get the training and support you need, do you think you’d be able to manage your time and prioritise work so the right things get done first? Careers in local government planning departments, engineering, Environmental Health all need people who have great planning and organisation skills.

Motivation - It takes motivation to deliver the best services for local communities. When you’re working in local government, you’ll be motivated to do your best!

Commitment - Everyone in local government is committed to making a big positive impact on the local community. Are you curious and excited at the thought of taking that extra step to make a difference to local people?

Problem-solving - There may be times in life and work when we need to overcome a problem. This is true when you’re working in local government, too! Many of local government roles will give you the chance to use your problem-solving skills. Whatever kind of puzzle, problem or challenge you’re looking at, you can keep a clear head and think about ways to come up with some different solutions and test them to see if they will work.