Planning Lawyer

About the role

Hillingdon is London's second largest borough. Our staff live across Hillingdon and beyond, with our main council offices at the Civic Centre in the heart of vibrant Uxbridge town centre. Putting our residents first is at the heart of everything we do, and we are embarking on an ambitious plan to modernise our service offering, while sustaining the high-quality delivery.

We operate a busy, innovative and dynamic Legal Department, which is committed to providing high-quality, client focused legal services. The team works in close collaboration with our service areas providing a comprehensive support service across a wide range of Council areas including adult and children's care, planning, housing and litigation.

Job Purpose

To assist in the provision of an efficient and cost effective legal service to all relevant departments such as the Planning Team, Highways Team and Specialist Planning Team.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct of cases in all Courts, Tribunals, Civil and Criminal courts and before Tribunals, Inquiries etc.
• Instruct Counsel and other experts, as required.
• Draft legal documents, including section 106 agreements as required to fulfil client departments' functions.
• Attend and advise at Committee and Sub Committee meetings in relation to work undertaken by the Planning & Corporate Team.
• Attend and advise at meetings of working parties and officer groups as a representative of the Planning & Corporate Team.
• Provide legal advice to the departments served by the Planning Team as and when required.
• Keep clients, members and officers informed of new legislation and case law relevant to their operations to ensure sound appreciation of legal requirements.
• Provide legal comments for reports to Cabinet members, cabinet and other committees.
• Assist client departments in unravelling the implications of new legislation and case law.

What we are looking for

Our ideal candidate will have been admitted as a Solicitor, Barrister or Legal Executive in England and Wales or a Common Law jurisdiction, with a background in planning, highways or environmental law. You will have the ability to manage a demanding caseload, with high levels of attention to detail and a track record in effective decision making. You will have excellent communication skills, be highly organised and with a high degree of professionalism.

What we offer

The role offers a competitive salary of £46,512 to £50,574 per year. New employees are usually offered the starting salary of the band; however for more experienced candidates consideration may be made to join at a higher level within the band. We offer a range of company benefits.

• Local Government Pension Scheme (average salary pension)
• Flexible Working Hours
• 36 hour week for all full time staff
• Generous holiday entitlement - minimum 23 days a year (plus bank holidays), rising to 28 days after five years' service; for more senior positions up to 36 days
• Free parking (four days a week) if based at the Civic Centre
• Career breaks
• Season ticket loan
• Childcare vouchers in school summer holidays
• Access to a Credit Union
• Access to a wide range of training and courses
• Discount on a variety of adult education courses run by the Council
• Payment of professional fees where required
• Discounts at council owned leisure centres and swimming pools at Hillingdon (Uxbridge), Queensmead (South Ruislip), Highgrove (Ruislip) and Botwell Green (Hayes)
• Cycle purchase scheme
• Car sharing scheme
• Hillingdon Sports & Leisure benefits (discounts at leisure centres & pools)
• Salary Sacrifice Schemes (cycle purchase, electric vehicle leasing, additional voluntary pension contributions)
• Vivup benefits (various offers and discounts)
• Mental health support and counselling services (free 24 hour confidential advice, counselling, legal advice service for you and your immediate family)
• Travel support (season ticket loan and free car parking)

Our borough offers fantastic transport links with the A40, M25, the Metropolitan, Elizabeth and Piccadilly lines all local to us, so you can travel to work with ease, with free parking within our own car park. We also offer hybrid working arrangements, with time balanced between the office and home. The role will require attendance at meetings outside of working hours, and you may be required to work from a range of locations across the Borough.

About us

We value our employees and are committed to ensuring that they enjoy a fulfilling and rewarding career with us. We understand that a happy and motivated workforce is essential for the success of our organisation. That is why we offer a wide range of employee benefits to enhance your work life balance, financial wellbeing, health, and professional development.

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Statement

At the London Borough of Hillingdon, we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace. This commitment means that all employees, job applicants and others who work for us will be treated fairly. The aim is for our workforce to be representative of all sections of society and Hillingdon residents so we welcome applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds. We strive to ensure that our recruitment process is free from discrimination and bias, and we are dedicated to providing reasonable adjustments to applicants with disabilities. Join us in building a workplace where everyone feels respected, able to give their best and be themselves at work, whilst contributing meaningfully to our organisation's success.

Recruitment Information

Hillingdon Council operates a guaranteed interview scheme for candidates with disabilities that meet the essential criteria for the role and wish to be considered under this scheme. We believe in the option to choose, so candidates declaring a disability have the choice to opt in for consideration under this scheme, on a 'per application' basis.

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable groups and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

Some posts are subject to The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2019 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.

In addition to verifying Right to Work in the UK and a new starter health questionnaire, the post is subject to the following pre employment screening:

• Standard DBS Check
• Qualifications Check
• Professional Registration Check
• Three years of referencing

Please note

Priority will be given to those at risk of redundancy within Hillingdon Council. Current employees who are part of the redeployment pool must meet the essential criteria for shortlisting to be prioritised. It may be necessary due to a high volume of applications to close this role early. We therefore recommend you apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.