Planning and Highways Lawyers

Overview

We have two openings in our Planning and Highways Legal Team for both a Lawyer and Senior Lawyer to join us.

Are you committed to making a difference? Do you want the work you do to have a real impact for the local community? Are you looking for an opportunity to develop your career to undertake varied and complex case work?

We offer a vibrant, stimulating legal environment and a culture of knowledge sharing and learning, to inspire and develop our lawyers to lead in their field. We are looking for lawyers with a strong professional work ethic and a commitment to excellent service, leading to a dynamic and rewarding future.

The salaries advertised for these roles are dependent on experience. We have full-time posts available, however, we would consider applications for part-time working. Please note if you are working part-time the salary would be pro-rata.

About us

Legal Services is at the heart of the Council and provides a fast paced and rewarding career in a supportive environment. Career development is something we are very passionate about; we are committed to building an exceptional in-house legal service.

This is an exciting time to join us, as we continue to grow and develop our service.

Please click here to find out further information on our Legal Services: https://buckinghamshire.pagetiger.com/legal-services/1

If that’s not enough reason to join us, you will be entitled to a range of benefits from Buckinghamshire Council including a very competitive employer pension contribution, generous annual leave allowance and discounts in a range of services and restaurants.

About the role

You'll be part of a collaborative team of experienced lawyers that values personal development. It's a place where you will be supported as well as encouraged to use your initiative, take responsibility early, and work directly with in-house client officers.

We are seeking legal professionals who enjoy working collaboratively to offer proactive, innovative and client-focused advice. Legal Services is at the heart of the organisation and provides a fast paced and extremely rewarding career in a supportive environment.

We are recruiting for two positions, a Senior Lawyer and a Lawyer. Please state on your application which post you wish to be considered for:

Senior Lawyer - Salary grade 9

You will undertake a complex and varied caseload to deliver on the Councils regulatory function in planning; including enforcement, public inquiries, judicial reviews and statutory appeals, delivering high value, bespoke advice, drafting and negotiating complex S106 agreements, attending planning committees, local plan/NDP and contributing as an active team member and supporting and engaging in the development of junior members of the team. Highways experience would be advantageous including advising on and knowledge of statutory highway provisions, and drafting highway agreements.

Lawyer - Salary grade 8

In this role you will be an active engaged member of the team and provide support for the regulatory function of the council in planning; including legal advice, enforcement, attendance at inquiries, bespoke research and drafting and negotiating and drafting S106 agreements. Planning committee experience would be advantageous although training will be provided with a view to regular attendance at planning committees. Highways experience would be an advantage including drafting highway agreements.

Working Style:

Legal Services works in a hybrid manner with a mixture of office based and home working. We recognise the importance of team collaboration and as an ‘any desk’ working you will be expected to attend the office 40% of the time or in line with business needs and team requirements. You will have full remote access to enable you to work from home the remainder of the time. There will also be times when you’ll need to attend face to face meetings or court hearings in Buckinghamshire and further afield.

During any probationary/learning period you may be required to attend the office more frequently for training. A rota is in place for attendance at evening committee meetings.

About you

We welcome applications from Solicitors, Barristers and Legal Executives with relevant experience advising officers and members in planning law, built from a career in either the public or private sector.

Naturally, you will be professional, highly motivated and proactive, with a developed knowledge in Planning. You will bring experience, knowledge and excellent drafting skills to the role, as well as the ability to provide sound legal advice. A broad range of experience of planning functions is required. Experience working with elected members, advising committee and knowledge of highway functions will be an advantage. You will be collaborative and possess excellent written and verbal communication skills and will actively participate and support the team.

Other information

For further information on these roles please see the attached job summary.

For an informal chat about these roles in more detail, contact Dawn Evans on 01296387388.

This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore applicants are required to declare:

• All unspent convictions and conditional cautions
• All spent convictions and adult cautions that are not protected (i.e. that are not filtered out) as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (as amended in 2020 and 2023).

For further information on filtering please refer to Nacro guidance and the guidance published by the Ministry of Justice (see, in particular, the section titled ‘Exceptions Order’).

This post is politically restricted under the terms of the Local Government Act 1989.

We reserve the right to close the vacancy once we have received sufficient applications, so please be advised to submit your application as early as possible.

Our values and culture

We have a set of values, which our employees have chosen, that represent what we are – Proud, Ambitious, Collaborative and Trustworthy.

By joining Buckinghamshire Council, you can expect:

a fair and inclusive culture

• the chance to really make a difference to those around you
• health and well-being initiatives including an Employee Assistance Programme, Mental Health First Aiders and mindfulness workshops
• a unified voice through our Employee Representative Group
• ongoing support, and the opportunity to develop and progress in your career with us
• opportunities to take part in fun activities such as fundraising and social events

At Buckinghamshire Council, we know that our biggest strength comes from the people that work for us, and that’s why we’re working hard to ensure we continue to be an accessible and inclusive organisation.

From dedicated staff networks overseen by our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Steering Group, to proudly standing as a Disability Confident employer, it’s important to us that all our colleagues feel engaged, listened to, and valued. Our offer of flexible working empowers a productive and happy workforce and allows employees to combine work with other responsibilities and commitments.

We believe our workforce should reflect the diverse communities we service in Buckinghamshire, and are looking for like-minded individuals to join us in promoting equality, fairness, and inclusion for everyone.

 

About the Business Unit

The Assistant Chief Executive directorate is central to Buckinghamshire Council’s journey to establish itself as one of the best councils in the country. With a clear focus on service improvement through transformation and a drive to build better relationships with the local community, the directorate is fast-paced; but extremely rewarding. Our teams are not only proactively delivering on projects and plans but also reacting to developing situations. If you are ambitious, innovative, and would relish the opportunity to influence change - a role within our service area could be your next career move.

The team includes exciting areas of work, including a brand new localities model – delivering 16 community boards across the county to make it easy for our residents to engage with us as we work together to plan for the future. Other teams include our Policy and Communications and Legal and Democratic Services teams – innovating the way we communicate with our colleagues, Members and the local community, and role-modelling best practice through policy, planning and legal services. If you think you can help us achieve our goals, and want to be a part of this exciting journey, we would love to hear from you!

We recognise and reward you

Hard work and success deserves recognition. That’s why we pride ourselves on the benefits we give our people. We actively encourage a good work-life balance and promote flexible and agile working arrangements. We provide discounts on various Cafés, restaurants, shops and auto enrolment onto our generous Pension Scheme. In addition to the opportunity to gain membership to Costco, we have discounted gym memberships, travel discounts with Arriva and much more.

https://jobs.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/working-buckinghamshire-council/