Local Government Finance

**Details**:
**Reference number**:

- 342700**Salary**:

- £51,934-
- A Civil Service Pension with an average employer contribution of 27%**Job grade**:

- Grade 7**Contract type**:

- Permanent**Type of role**:

- Policy**Working pattern**:

- Flexible working, Full-time, Job share, Part-time**Number of jobs available**:

- 7Contents

Location

About the job

**Benefits**:
Things you need to know

Location
- Darlington, LondonAbout the job

**Job summary**:
Local government plays a critical role in addressing the strategic challenges facing the country. Local authorities deliver vital public services that we all see, and use, every day: social care for adults and children, caring for some of the most vulnerable in society; running schools and ensuring every child gets a good education; regenerating our high streets; and keeping our streets safe and clean.

The Local Government Finance directorate is responsible for ensuring that the core elements of the local government finance system operate effectively and that councils have the funding they need to deliver the services that local residents rely on, as well as other key government priorities. Our directorate tackles the biggest policy questions facing local government to ensure the sector is sustainable, effective, and productive.

This is an exciting opportunity to join the Local Government Finance directorate and be responsible for answering these policy questions that have a tangible impact on people’s lives. Our work is high-profile and demanding, but incredibly rewarding. We work closely with Ministers, local authorities and colleagues across the civil service and our work has a positive real-world impact.

We are recruiting for G7 Policy Team Leaders in the following teams:

- Finance, Accounting and Capital
- Local Authority Financial Risk
- Local Government Pensions
- Settlement Distribution and Delivery
- Programme, Strategy and Reform
- Adult Social Care Policy

**Job description**:
We are recruiting in six critical teams in the Directorate: the Finance, Accounting and Capital team, the Local Authority Financial Risk team, the Local Government Pensions team, the Settlement Distribution and Delivery team, the Programme, Strategy and Reform team and the Care, Reform and Grants (Adult Social Care Policy) team.

**The teams**

**Finance, Accounting and Capital team (1 role)**

The team has policy responsibility for the capital system, under which councils borrow and invest. Capital investment by councils is vital for growing their local economies, improving public services, and priorities such as housing. The team monitors sector behaviour to ensure the capital system remains effective in supporting local freedoms to make much needed investment while also limiting risk. This involves identifying and responding to issues both at the system level and with individual authorities. The postholder will develop and maintain expertise on the local government capital system and provide insight and advice to contribute to policy development and the stewardship of the sector. The postholder will draw on a wide range of data and other sources of evidence to identify risks and issues from council behaviour, determine whether action is necessary and support the development of solutions.

**Local Authority Financial Risk team (2 roles)**

**Local Government Pensions team (1 role)**

The Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales (the LGPS) is one of the largest pension schemes in the world, with over 6.6 million members, 20,000 employers, and assets of £359bn, making it a globally significant investor. The scheme supports the provision of local services across England and Wales as a key part of the reward package for staff working in local authorities, service providers, and schools. The role is based in the team that has stewardship and oversight of the LGPS, setting the framework of law and guidance for the scheme’s governance, administration and investments to support the aim of achieving a sustainable, affordable and efficiently run LGPS. The role will involve developing policy and guidance, maintaining relationships with key stakeholders, providing advice to Ministers, contributing to projects and leading a team.

**Settlement Distribution and Delivery team (1 role)**

The team is responsible for delivering the £60bn Local Government Finance Settlement, and the underpinning policy which decides how much funding each local authority should get within that.

**Programme, Strategy and Reform team (1 role)**

This team sits at the heart of Local Government Finance, responsible for delivering cross-cutting priorities for ministers and senior civil servants, designing policy to improve the local government finance system in the future working closely across the directorate, and managing the programme function that oversees £60bn worth of funding. The postholder will be the Cross-Cutting Strategy and Programme Lead. This involves maintaining excel