We are your LGIU.
Supporting local government every day.
Almost 40 years ago, the LGIU was established by councils from across England – local government is our very foundation. We are immensely proud that decades later we are still trusted by our increasingly global network of local authority members to provide them with the mix of insight, ideas and innovation that they need to get the job done and plan for the future. Put simply, we are here supporting local government every day.
For the whole team
Local government is at its best when it is informed, engaged and networked. Throughout 2021 and every other year, everyone at an LGIU member organisation has had instant access to all of the information, insight and thought leadership we produce: our renowned policy briefings; local government specific learning and development; the cutting edge programmes of our new Local Democracy Research Centre; and so much more. They also get to be part of a global network, owned and run by local authorities, that supports innovation, shares ideas and amplifies the voice of local government around the world.
Throughout 2021 we continued to extend this network and as LGIU England & Wales, LGIU Scotland, LGIU Ireland and LGIU Australia we work for and with many more local authorities across the globe, promoting collaboration in the quest to develop sustainable public services for the future. Our pool of contributors and associate authors has also expanded to include experts in South Africa and across Europe.
As we approach our fifth decade the LGIU continues to move forward, supporting local government with every step.
Delivering for you everyday
Information at your fingertips
Policy briefings
Covid-19 has continued to dominate the political agenda in 2021 and our policy briefings have focussed on the various analyses of the impact of the pandemic and the elements of the recovery programme that local government is leading on.
In the year that COP26 was hosted by the UK, climate change and the work of local authorities in addressing the challenges of working towards the net zero carbon target have also been at the forefront of the political agenda and our briefings have explored the key role of local councils in delivering the solutions to those challenges.
Both Covid and climate change have highlighted the social and economic inequalities that exist within our society, at both global and local levels, and a number of our briefings have examined research reports that look into the causes of those inequalities and the role of local government in mitigating and addressing them.
In 2021 we also increased the global reach of our briefings, publishing briefings that explore challenges faced by local governments around the world and showcasing best practice and local solutions from South Africa, Australia, North America and across Europe.
We have rounded up our most popular briefings of 2021 here and you can browse all briefings here.
Daily News
For members only, this is our professional summary of the top local government news stories featured in the national and regional press. Daily News is established as an essential start to the day for councillors and staff and is delivered to more than 13,000 recipients at 6am every morning.
Global Local Recap
This year we introduced a new weekly service that showcases the most inspiring local approaches to the global challenges that we all face. Each week we address a different theme that local governments around the world are grappling with and gather together the best local innovation, practice and creativity from wherever we find it. Global Local Recap is an inspiring space for shared solutions and is fast building an international following.
Always looking forward
Ideas, analysis and discussion
The Local Democracy Research Centre
In 2021 we formally launched the Local Democracy Research Centre with an online discussion event in June, which was attended by LGIU members and other experts in local democracy and local government. It was a truly international event, with speakers and attendees from the UK, Ireland, Australia, the USA and elsewhere in Europe. Our research has covered the challenges around place-shaping and levelling up, the future role of local government as a set of institutions, the economic and social benefits that can be gained from climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, and an investigation of how local government can lead a systems-focus on health and care outcomes in the UK.
Through the Research Centre we are also commissioning new and cutting edge research programmes ourselves. We are working with experts at the University of Kent to develop a framework for measuring and assessing local autonomy and decentralisation of power across different countries and we are developing plans for other projects comparing funding systems around the world, as well as bespoke projects in partnership with our members. Finally, we are excited to launch our first PhD programme, in partnership with the University of the Highlands and Islands, as well as Orkney Islands Council, Shetland Islands Council and the Western Isles Councils. The programme will look at opportunities within the Scottish Government’s Islands Plan.
We would be very interested to discuss any of these projects further with our members. Contact andrew.walker@lgiu.org
Training courses and events
We have been delivering training to local government for more than 30 years. In 2021 we once again provided all our training online – both seminars and bespoke inhouse courses. Being online has brought a new flexibility to what we offer – from short lunchtime sessions on social media up to indepth training running over several days. We have been delighted to welcome more than 2,500 delegates from all over the UK, Ireland, Australia and elsewhere, connecting local government and sharing best practice. Our most popular sessions this year included: charing skills; using social media; introduction to climate change and our ever popular local government finance series of which one delegate said: ‘we would recommend it to all councillors’.
Major policy events included our post-COP26 panel discussion, held in partnership with the Heseltine Institute for Public Policy, Practice and Place at the University of Liverpool.
Back for the 12th year running were the LGIU & CCLA Cllr Awards . This year we were delighted to be able to hold a live ceremony on the 1st of December; our shortlisted councillors and special guests came together at Camden Council where the winners were announced and the event was live streamed on YouTube to a wider audience. A list of the winners is here.
A voice for local government
Always on your side
Media
We continue our work to amplify the voice of local government across regional and national press. Our targeted media campaigns and rapid response to breaking news stories secured over 650 press hits, including the Times, Financial Times, Guardian and BBC News as well as extensive coverage across trade press, local radio and in regional papers.
Blogs, podcasts and longread articles
2021 was a bumper year with more than 200 blogs, podcasts and more indepth longform articles. LGIU policy experts and colleagues from sector organisations, academic institutions and out member authorities provided thought provoking and interesting insight, comment and case studies throughout the year. You can browse our blogs, podcasts and publications.
