About Local Government
Information about the role of local government can be viewed at the “Working in the public sector” section.
Careers in Local Government
About two million people are employed by local authorities in the UK (source: direct.gov.uk). The range of job areas is vast, with examples being:
catering, marketing, politics, teaching, engineering, environment, human resources, finance, audit, information technology, legal, libraries, museums, housing, leisure, tourism, property management, architecture, policy development, social work, community work, youth work and trading standards. Many people are not aware that, for example, the local leisure centre or theatre may be council-owned and, therefore, people who work in these facilities are employed by the council.
After complying with mandatory government legislation, councils have powers which enable them to, to a certain extent, decide the structure of their workforce, the departments within which they work and, therefore, the job roles required. Each council, therefore, employs people in certain areas which others may not. There are literally hundreds of different jobs with local authorities, which could accommodate most people's needs.
Securing employment in local government can assist greatly with increasing knowledge to help to progress a chosen career. Due to the variety of work areas within councils, it is easy for an employee to gain knowledge, not only in the area within which they are employed, but also within other areas.
In addition to permanent or temporary vacancies, many councils offer apprenticeship schemes or work experience (e.g. for young people or people who are returning to work from a period of absence).
For more information on local government careers, please contact the individual local authority with whom you may be interested in working. Alternatively, a number of employee profiles are attached which give an insight into working in a particular role within a local authority. These have been produced by the IDeA (Improvement and Development Agency):