Pathways to Planning, Cohort 4: Guidance for Councils

What is Pathways to Planning? 

• Pathways to Planning is an MHCLG-funded programme being delivered by the LGA with support from the Planning Advisory Service (PAS).
• It is intended to run as a fast-track graduate opportunity, attracting top talent and quickly upskilling graduates to tackle staffing shortages throughout local government, recruiting into built environment professions in the coming years.
• Since it's launch in 2023 Pathways to Planning has delivered more than 200 new planners to more than 100 local planning authorities.
• In October 2025, the programme expanded to deliver two pathways for employers:  
  • The Planning stream will deliver graduates to work as planners in local authorities, statutory consultees and NSIPs. Graduates will train as accredited Planners, or can specialise in an adjacent discipline such as architecture or ecology to build speciality knowledge within a planning team.
  • The Surveying stream will deliver graduates to work as surveyors in local authorities, including construction project management roles. Graduates will train on an RICS accredited course selected by the local authority.

Basic structure of Cohort 4 

• Councils can sign up from 8th October 2025 until early February 2026
• Graduate planners will start work and will start their an RTPI, RICS, RIBA or CIEEM accredited degree starting in September 2026. 

Financial information for Cohort 4 

• The programme covers all marketing and recruitment costs for both the Planning and Surveying streams
• The programme also provides educational bursaries to support each graduate’s postgraduate study: this is a core element of the programme.
• All graduates, will undertake a part-time master’s degree, offering their graduate a minimum contract of two years to last the duration of study, will receive a bursary of £10,000 per graduate. This money must be used to pay the graduate’s course fees. Councils are liable to pay any fees above this level, and the cost of graduate’s travel to campus. Councils can use a ‘claw-back’ contract with their trainee for expenses that they have accrued beyond the bursary: a claw-back cannot include any grant money (i.e. the £10,000 bursary). Any claw-backs must be made evident to graduates at the interview stage.  
• Salary bursaries will be offered for Cohort 4, available to councils who are unable to create a graduate planner post due to financial restrictions in the council, and/or who are facing substantial housing or local plan workloads. To apply for a salary bursary, councils must complete the sign up form and indicate their request for salary funding. Salary funding is only available for the Planning stream.
• Unless in receipt of a salary bursary, graduates’ salary is paid by councils at a minimum level of £25,000. We recommend matching this post to your graduate or career-graded planners. Please bear in mind that all councils’ salaries will be made clear to graduates ahead of the interview stage so you must secure this funding before 5th February to take part in the programme.
• Councils will employ the graduate(s) on contract which spans, at a minimum, the length of two years to ensure their contract spans the duration of their part time masters: councils can offer a longer or permanent contract if they wish.

Marketing and recruitment 

• Pathways to Planning will market Planning as a career to graduates from all degree backgrounds: its competency-based, rigorous assessment process will identify top candidates who are also a fit with a career in local government.
• The assessment framework has been designed by an occupational psychologist with input from PAS, the young planners and BAME planners networks, and current Pathways to Planning trainees. Assessment exercises have been built using framework and input from these and other professional stakeholders.
• Councils will make offer(s) of employment following an interview process. This is a ‘best fit’ interview rather than a competency-based process, given what the graduates have already passed through to get to this stage. The Pathways to Planning team will provide interview guidance.

Appendix A: Sample work plans

Example A

While based at XXXX Council, our graduate(s) will do four placements, each lasting roughly 9 months. We anticipate that graduates based in the council will gain sustained work experience in the following areas: 

• Development management (9 months);
• Policy (9 months);
• Regeneration & Corporate Delivery (9 months);
• Specialist area (i.e. enforcement, minerals and waste, heritage & conservation, highways etc) (9 months). 

Example B 

While based at XXXX Council, we will be funding the graduate’s position through a vacancy in our policy team. We anticipate the graduate will spend the equivalent of three days per week based in this role, where they will be supported to work on a range of policy areas.

For the equivalent of one day each week, the graduate will work on a project with our development management director, learning how to manage caseloads and process applications as well as having a small individual caseload and exposure to planning committee. 

We will reserve the last day of the week for the graduate’s learning and development. Until they start the qualification, we will try to use this time to support the graduate shadowing senior members of staff and attending meetings with councillors.  

Example C 

At XXXX Council, we will provide two main placements for our graduate(s). They will spend a year in development management and a year in policy, with the third year to be allocate based on business needs and, wherever possible, the graduate(s)’ interests. We commit to giving the graduates exposure to other key projects happening in the council’s planning teams during their main placements, including opportunities to shadow senior members of staff, gain experience with councillors, and have exposure to the delivery key sites, including corporate delivery and regeneration projects, along with other members of staff.

Appendix B: Sample Mentoring Plan 

Example A 

At XXX Council, we have mentoring at the heart of staff development. We will provide our graduate(s) with a mentor based on the graduate(s) interests within planning. Their line manager will be the main point of pastoral support for the first 6 months as the graduate(s) ascertain where they would most value a mentor. The line manager will work to identify and arrange this mentoring relationship within the first six months and assist with any changes as necessary over time. 

Example B  

The graduate(s) coming to work for us at XXXX Council will have a mentor chosen from the middle managers in our team, depending on who is the best fit based on interests and personality. We will arrange this mentoring relationship within the first eight weeks that the graduate is in post and ensure that they are well signposted to their line manager and other senior members of staff for the intervening period. We will also provide, as part of our work experience, opportunities to shadow senior members of staff once a quarter, with those members of staff being asked to take on a supportive role with any follow up from the graduate on an ad hoc basis, where time allows.

Appendix C: Recommended council structure 

We would recommend having an outline of roles and responsibilities established in the council to ensure that the delivery of the Pathways scheme within your council is as smooth and clear for all parties as possible. The following chart is a suggestion based on our experience working with the Impact: The Local Government Graduate Programme and is not meant to be prescriptive. As a minimum, we will need to know who the main contact point is for the LGA at the council and who the main contact would be for graduates.