News
Public Practice announces new Autumn 2024 cohort
Autumn 2024 Cohort
The Autumn 2024 Public Practice cohort places 21 Associates to 17 Authorities across England, including Gateshead Council, Bristol City Council, Somerset Council and Lewes District & Eastbourne Borough Councils.
This group reflects the diverse roles Public Practice supports in the public sector, with placements in areas such as housing delivery, planning policy, transport infrastructure, green infrastructure, economic regeneration and urban design.
Public Practice has placed 371 professionals in 97 Authorities since 2017. Over 70% of Associates remain in the public sector for more than 2 years after completing the 12-month programme.
Public Practice recently published its 2024 Recruitment and Skills insights report, which highlights critical skills and capacity challenges in public sector planning and placemaking teams. It shows that 70% of local authority teams had difficulty attracting qualified and skilled candidates to fill capacity gaps in their teams; a percentage which has remained consistently high for the last three years the survey has run. The survey also shows that 15% of recruitment to planning and placemaking teams takes over a year to complete, or fails completely.
Local Authorities are also struggling to attract multidisciplinary skill sets. The skills gaps revealed include Landscape Architecture (with 69% of teams seeking these skills), Architecture, Urban Design and Masterplanning (with 60% of teams seeking these skills) and Property Development and Capital Delivery (with 55% of teams seeking these skills).
Public Practice’s new cohort addresses these challenges, with over 80% of the successful associates coming to work in the public sector for the first time, bringing diverse international experience, skills and backgrounds.
Associates joining the programme, which commences this Autumn, include:
- Sarah McLeary, a senior architect who previously worked at Scottish practice Smith Scott Mullan with experience of large landscape-led developments across the UK
- Larry Botchway, architect, tutor and co-founder of socially minded design and engagement practice POoR (Power Out of Restriction) collective
- Callum Geeves, landscape architect previously working in City of Sydney Council
- Rachael Moon, architect with a background of delivering significant projects including Bond Street Station as part of the Elizabeth Line in Central London
- Eduardo Torres Rojas, an urban planner who previously worked at the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat).
Pooja Agrawal, CEO of Public Practice said:
“Our latest Recruitment and Insights Report revealed that 20% of officers plan to leave the public sector in the next two years. I am proud that Public Practice is bucking this trend and continuing to attract and place multidisciplinary, socially driven people within the public sector." “With a new government and significant changes coming forward including updates to the National Planning Policy Framework, the re-introduction of strategic planning, new towns and further devolution - there is a huge need to continue to bring multidisciplinary skills into public sector planning and placemaking teams at all levels so that the places we shape and the homes we deliver are of the highest quality we can envision.”
Andrew Ford-Hutchinson, Principal Transport Planner and Specialist Consultee Team Leader, Gateshead Council said:
“At Gateshead Council, we are passionate about high-quality design. We have an award-winning multidisciplinary built and natural environment team and are delighted to bring urban design expertise back in-house. Public Practice helped us recruit a talented and passionate urban designer. Sarah McLeary will be working to support multiple teams within the Authority, together with development partners and with peers from neighbouring authorities and the North East Combined Authority to influence high-quality design outcomes.”
Are you looking to use your placemaking skills for the public good? Find out more about our Associate Programme.
Public Practice has recently launched CPD’s to demystify planning and public sector processes to the wider built environment profession.
Our new Jobs Board supports local authorities in attracting senior-level professionals to public sector roles all year round.
Check out Public Notice, our new magazine that highlights the vital, interdisciplinary work of public sector placemakers across the country.
A media pack link can be downloaded. Photography credit: © Dion Barrett
