Assistant Support Officer (Planning)

Newcastle Staffs; Newcastle-under-Lyme; Hybrid; GBP 12,000 - 16,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

Local government pension

Annual leave 24 days +5 after 5 years

Flexible working

Discounts

Free car parking

Wellbeing support

Green travel scheme

Employee assistance

Training opportunities

Job summary

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council is seeking an Assistant Support Officer (Planning) to join the planning team. The role is 16 hours a week under a fixed-term contract until the end of March 2028 and based at Castle House, Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Some homeworking is possible, with equipment provided. You will support planning officers, handle validation of various applications, respond to enquiries, and help ensure timely processing while meeting deadlines.

Qualifications

• Experience in an administrative/technical role.
• Experience with ICT products and strong MS Office skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide administrative support to planning officers and team.
• Assist applicants and agents with planning applications and enquiries.
• Process validation and handling of householder, Tree Preservation Orders, and conservation area applications; assist with enforcement, appeals and development guidance.

Skills

Administrative experience

ICT proficiency

Microsoft Office

Education

GCSEs incl English and Maths

Job description

Job opportunity: Assistant Support Officer (Planning)

Hours

16 hours a week

Contract

Fixed-Term contract until end of March 2028

Location

Castle House,Newcastle-under-Lyme

About the job

The borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme is situated in North Staffordshire on the border of Shropshire and Cheshire.

The council is proud of its record in the determination of applications with high levels of performance at deciding applications in time and we are looking for a highly motivated support officer to join our team.

You should have good time management and communication skills, be able to prioritise potentially conflicting tasks, attention to detail and work to deadlines.

You will provide administrative support to the planning officers and other members of the team but also to applicants and agents seeking to make planning applications or enquire about development.

The post will also involve validation and processing of householder planning applications, Tree Preservation Orders and Trees in Conservation Areas applications; providing factual information to applicants and agents over the telephone or in writing in connection with such planning applications, processing of enforcement complaints, planning appeals and providing advice to people to help them on development matters and support the efficient operation of the service.

The post allows for some homeworking and equipment for this will be provided for the post holder.

There will also be an expectation for some time in the office to be part of regular team meetings and catch up sessions.

Requirements

• Experience of working in an administrative/technical role
• 5 GCSEs at grade 4 (or above) including English and Maths
• Experience of working with a range of ICT products will be of assistance and a good working knowledge of Microsoft Office is essential

Why work for us?

Newcastle-under-Lyme is a borough with big ambitions. We’ve already started our transformation, however, we still need to find better ways of doing things because we are determined to do the very best we can for our communities.

If our vision is to be the best, then we need the best people working for us. Our people are at the heart of what we do and have the freedom to innovate, grow and develop. We recruit people who share our vision and values ; people who have the drive to deliver our ambitious council plan.

Our historic borough is a place of marked contrasts. We are the home of a world class University at Keele, a leading light known internationally for its research and sustainability record, which stands side by side with former mining communities including some which register amongst the most deprived areas in the country. Our borough is also a mixture of urban centres, affected by some of the same social issues facing our neighbouring city, Stoke-on-Trent, but also outstanding rural landscapes in our less populated villages. Our plans and priorities aim to address the needs of all our communities.

Our People offer

We reward our people with a competitive range of benefits including:

• access to the local government pension scheme
• minimum 24days annual leave plus5 extra days after 5 years' service
• flexible working options and family friendly policies
• local and national high street discounts
• free car parking
• wellbeing support including £12.50 per month Jubilee2 membership
• green travel scheme including cycle to work and electric car salary sacrifice
• free employee 24 hour employee assistance and counselling services, flu vaccination service and health checks
• development and training opportunities

Contact

For an informal discussion about the post, please contact Sarah Jones, Technical Support Team Manager, or Rachel Killeen, Development Manager on 01782717717 .

5pm on Friday30October 2026.

Should we receive a large number of applications, then this post could close sooner than the date stated.

Shortlistedapplicants will be contacted within two weeks of the closing date.

Interview date

Thursday5November 2026.

While we value diverse backgrounds and experiences, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship. Applicants must be able to prove they have the Right to Work in the U.K.

We are committed to making our recruitment process as accessible as possible for everyone. This includes making adjustments or changes for disabled people, neurodiverse people or people with long-term health conditions. If you would like us to do anything differently during the interview or assessment process please contact our People team ( [e-mail] )

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council is committed to the employment and career development of disabled people, armed forces and care leavers.As such we offer an interview guarantee scheme where you meet the minimum criteria for the role. By minimum criteria we mean you must provide us with evidence in your application and supporting information which demonstrates that you generally meet the level of skills and experience defined in the person specification and as indicated by the Disability Confident symbol.