Local Government Association
Encyclopedia
England and Wales
England and Wales is a jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. It consists of England and Wales, two of the four countries of the United Kingdom...
, which seeks to be an authoritative and effective advocate on its behalf.
The LGA has its Head Office at Local Government House (formerly Transport House) in Smith Square, Westminster. Its members are various types of English and Welsh local authorities, including county council
County council
A county council is the elected administrative body governing an area known as a county. This term has slightly different meanings in different countries.-United Kingdom:...
s, metropolitan borough
Metropolitan borough
A metropolitan borough is a type of local government district in England, and is a subdivision of a metropolitan county. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972, metropolitan boroughs are defined in English law as metropolitan districts, however all of them have been granted or regranted...
councils, London borough
London borough
The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London. Outer London comprises the twenty remaining boroughs of Greater London.-Functions:...
councils, non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan district
Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially shire districts, are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties in a so-called "two-tier" arrangement...
councils and unitary authorities
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
. The LGA does not cover parish and community councils, which are represented by the National Association of Local Councils
National Association of Local Councils
The National Association of Local Councils is an association of approximately 8,500 independently elected community, parish and town councils in England. The Head Office of the organisation is at 109 Great Russell Street in Bloomsbury, central London.The main duties of the NALC include lobbying...
and by One Voice Wales. In addition there are bodies such as London Councils (formerly the Association of London Government) and other regional bodies to bring together local authorities at the regional level. In 2008 the Association published the National Improvement and Efficiency Strategy with Communities and Local Government which saw the creation of a stronger regional presence in the form of nine Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (RIEPs)
Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (RIEPs)
-What are RIEPs?:The nine regional improvement and efficiency partnerships are English public sector organisations that support councils and their partners to become more efficient, innovative and engaged with citizens...
which were given £185m of devolved funding from CLG to drive improvement in local government.
The Welsh members are part of the affiliated Welsh Local Government Association
Welsh Local Government Association
The Welsh Local Government Association represents the interests of local authorities in Wales. It is an affiliated member of the Local Government Association of England and Wales....
, which is a constituent part of the LGA, but retains full autonomy in dealing with Welsh affairs. By contrast in Scotland the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities is the representative association of Scottish local government and is the employers’ association on behalf of all Scottish councils...
and in Northern Ireland
Local government in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is divided into 26 districts for local government purposes. In Northern Ireland local councils do not carry out the same range of functions as those in the rest of the United Kingdom, for example they have no responsibility for education, for road building or for housing...
the Northern Ireland Local Government Association are wholly distinct bodies with similar roles to those of the LGA in England and Wales.
The LGA seeks to promote better local government; it maintains communication between officers in different local authorities to develop best practice. It also represents the interests of local government to national government and seeks to improve the image and reputation of local government generally.
The Chief Executive is John Ransford. Margaret Eaton
Margaret Eaton, Baroness Eaton
Margaret Eaton, Baroness Eaton , DBE, DL is a Conservative Party life peer in the British House of Lords. She has been a Councillor with Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council since 1986 and was the Chairman of the Local Government Association until June 2011.She was appointed a Dame Commander of...
, former leader of the City of Bradford Council
City of Bradford
The City of Bradford is a local government district of West Yorkshire, England with the status of a city and metropolitan borough. It is named after its largest settlement, Bradford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Keighley, Shipley, Bingley, Ilkley, Haworth, Silsden and...
, was elected chair of the LGA on 11 September 2008, replacing Sir Simon Milton
Simon Milton (politician)
Sir Simon Henry Milton was a British Conservative politician. He lately served as London's Deputy Mayor for Policy and Planning, and before that was a leader of Westminster City Council and Chairman of the Local Government Association.-Early life:Milton was the son of Clive and Ruth Milton and was...
who went to be London's Deputy Mayor Policy and Planning.
The LGA was formed on 1 April 1997, in the middle of the 1990s UK local government reform
1990s UK local government reform
The structure of local government in the United Kingdom underwent large changes in the 1990s. The system of two-tier local government introduced in the 1970s by the Local Government Act 1972 and the Local Government Act 1973 was abolished in Scotland and Wales on April 1, 1996, and replaced with...
which created unitary authorities. The association is the direct successor to several per-type associations, most recently the Association of County Councils, the Association of District Councils and the Association of Metropolitan Authorities. There continue to be Special Interest Groups within the LGA representing groups of authorities. These are largely per-type—the County Councils Network
County Councils Network
The County Councils Network is a Special Interest Group within the Local Government Association, and its members are the 37 English County Councils...
, the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities, and UNISIG, representing Unitary Authorities, but also include groups for coastal authorities, authorities with high ethnicity, and authorities with sparse populations, among others.
Chairmen
- Sir Jeremy BeechamJeremy BeechamJeremy Beecham, Baron Beecham, Kt, DL is a British Labour politician and a senior figure in English local government. He was leader of Newcastle City Council and the first Chairman of theLocal Government Association...
(1997–2004) - Sandy, Lord Bruce-LockhartSandy Bruce-Lockhart, Baron Bruce-LockhartAlexander John Bruce-Lockhart, Baron Bruce-Lockhart, OBE , commonly known as Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, was a British Conservative politician and a senior figure in English local government. He was the leader of Kent County Council and then Chairman of the Local Government Association...
(2004–2007) - Sir Simon MiltonSimon Milton (politician)Sir Simon Henry Milton was a British Conservative politician. He lately served as London's Deputy Mayor for Policy and Planning, and before that was a leader of Westminster City Council and Chairman of the Local Government Association.-Early life:Milton was the son of Clive and Ruth Milton and was...
(2007–2008 ) - Dame Margaret Eaton (2008–2011)
- Sir Merrick CockellMerrick CockellSir Merrick Richard Cockell is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom, Leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Chairman of the Local Government Association...
(2011- )
Notable members
- Sir Chris ClarkeChris Clarke (politician)Sir Christopher James Clarke OBE , usually known as Chris Clarke, was a British Liberal Democrat politician, leader of Somerset County Council and of his party's group in the Local Government Association.-Life:...
, Liberal Democrat group leader 2001-2005 - Richard Kemp, Liberal Democrat group leader 2005-2011
- Marianne Overton, Independent Group Leader 2011
Local Government Group
The LGA is part of a wider Local Government Group that also comprises:- Local Government Improvement and Development (formerly the Improvement & Development Agency)
- Local Government Employers (formerly the Employers' Organisation for Local Government)
- Local Government Regulation (formerly Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services)
- Local Government LeadershipLocal Government LeadershipLocal Government Leadership is one of the six bodies that form the Local Government Group in England and Wales overseen by the Local Government Association . Its purpose is to develop leadership skills among both local authority members and officials...
(formerly the Leadership Centre for Local Government) - Local PartnershipsLocal PartnershipsLocal Partnerships is one of the six bodies that form the Local Government Group overseen by the Local Government Association though, unlike the others, it is jointly owned with HM Treasury...
(a joint venture between the LGA and Partnerships UKPartnerships UKParnerships UK was an organisation responsible for furthering public-private partnerships in the United Kingdom.-Origins:In July 1997 a private finance initiative taskforce was established within the Treasury to provide central co-ordination for the roll-out of PFI...
which delivers the services previously offered by 4ps)
These bodies work with local government organisations (regardless of whether they are LGA members) with the objective of strengthening local government's capabilities and providing support for specific issues that are of widespread importance to local government, for example national pay bargaining. The members of the Local Government Group were rebranded in July 2010 as part of the Local Government Group's 'Getting Closer' initiative http://www.local.gov.uk/lgv2/core/page.do?pageId=430222.
See also
- Australian Local Government AssociationAustralian Local Government AssociationThe Australian Local Government Association is the national voice of local government, representing 560 councils across the country.In structure, ALGA is a federation of state and territory local government associations...
- Convention of Scottish Local AuthoritiesConvention of Scottish Local AuthoritiesThe Convention of Scottish Local Authorities is the representative association of Scottish local government and is the employers’ association on behalf of all Scottish councils...
External links
- Local Government Association
- The Welsh Local Government Association (Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru)
- Local.gov.uk — Local Government Group bodies
- The Local Government Chronicle — The leading site for local government news
- LocalGov.co.uk — News updates on UK local government
- Local Government Careers
- Local Government Channel