The Local Government Association (LGA) is the national voice of local government in England and, via the Welsh LGA, in Wales. It seeks to be an authoritative and effective advocate on behalf of its members.
The LGA has its Head Office at Local Government House (formerly Transport House) in Smith Square, Westminster, London. Its members are various types of English and Welsh local authorities, including county councils, metropolitan borough councils, London borough councils, non-metropolitan district councils and unitary authorities. The LGA does not cover parish and community councils, which are represented by the National Association of Local Councils 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 the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG), which saw the creation of a stronger regional presence in the form of nine Regional Improvement and Efficiency Partnerships (RIEPs) which were given £185m of devolved funding from DCLG to drive improvement in local government.
The Welsh members are part of the affiliated Welsh Local Government Association, 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 and in Northern Ireland 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.
Sir Merrick Cockell, Leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is Chairman of the LGA. The Chief Executive is Carolyn Downs.
The LGA was formed on 1 April 1997, in the middle of the 1990s UK local government reform 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, 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.
Read more about Local Government Association: Chairmen, Notable Members, Local Government Group
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