Local Government job description

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The position of local government officer covers a wide range of specialist sectors such as housing, finance, planning, education, transport, human resources, tourism, social work, leisure and recreation, IT and health. Officers in local government are responsible for developing and implementing local council policies and ensuring local services are fit for the purpose. Contact with the public and various committees is an essential part of the job, requiring excellent written and verbal communications skills at all levels.
Specific activities will depend on the department and the employee’s level of responsibility, typically including planning and monitoring policies, arranging meetings, researching and presenting briefing reports and liaising closely with other departments. Attention to detail, a broad knowledge of IT and software, competence in finance and strong organisational skills are all requirements. Positions in this field are open to all graduates; a relevant degree in, for example, economics, politics or public administration is helpful.
Basic entry level salaries average £15,000, with graduates entering via the national graduate development programme faring better with £22,000 or £25,000 in London. Senior level salaries are in excess of £40,000.

Description

Local Government officers are required to assist council policy development and ensure put into practice of these policies. They can specialise in different areas including finance, human resources, housing, regeneration, transport, libraries, tourism, planning, education, among many other areas. Their duties are related to contact other departments and specialists to make sure policies are effectively delivered.

Local Government officers usually perform many of the following tasks:
• Liaising with external agencies.
• Monitoring performance quality issues.
• Collecting data for external inspections.
• Advising on policy matters.
• Managing staff.

Skills

• Having good organisational skills.
• Having competent math skills.
• Being able to solve problems using logical approach.
• Being able to clearly explain technical issues.
• Having good negotiation skills.
• Being able to accurately create records.
• Being able to work alone or with a team.
• Having project management abilities.
• Having high attention to details.
• Having IT skills.

Education

In Wales and England, the National Graduate Development Programme is responsible for graduate courses for Local Government candidates. These courses last two years and are composed by placements covering corporate and strategic functions, service delivery, IT, finance, and human resources placements in local authority.

There are some local authorities that run their own graduate courses. These courses can be done with on the job training from experienced members.

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