LGIU – Local Government Information Unit – is a not-for-profit, non-partisan membership organisation. We are for local government and anyone with an interest in local democracy and finding local solutions to the challenges that we all face.
Our local government members in the UK, Ireland, Australia and our Global Local readers worldwide would be really interested to hear more about the innovative work at your council. The most effective way to do this is through an article on our website which can then be shared with all of our readers on our website, via our case study library and through our newsletters which are open to members and non-members alike. Together these newsletters get into the inboxes of over 30,000 local government colleagues and our reach is much wider.
Article guidelines
Projects: what you did and why you did it.
- Tell us what the project is, what was the inspiration behind it and what you hope to achieve.
- Provide a little background about the problem you were trying to solve or the group whose lives you are seeking to improve.
- Were there any hiccups along the way? Did you try something that didn’t work? People always want to know about the knowledge you’ve gained from diversions along the way. We know they’re hard to write about, but they’re really valuable.
Local government advocacy
- Does something need to change to help local government be more affective? (Yes!) Tell us about it. What change needs to happen and why? What difference would it make?
Make it human
- Because we have a global readership, some people won’t know much detail about your area. Please provide some interesting context and history about your area. What makes it a great place to live? What would you want to tell someone who was visiting for the first time? It’s a nice opportunity to promote the place you serve.
- We find a friendly and informal tone works best. That being said, it doesn’t always work especially if it’s a serious or difficult issue.
- Don’t be afraid to tell people why you’re passionate about the project or issue.
Practical stuff for all submissions
- Please focus on practice, not partisan politics. Of course local government is political, and it’s ok to mention it, but avoid being partisan.
- We recommend articles be between 400 and 1000 words in length, but about 500-600 is perfect.
- If you want to submit a picture please make sure to include attribution and that image is either copyright free or you have the creator’s permission.
- Include an author bio of about 50-75 words with the job title that you’d like to see displayed. You may also want to include an author picture.
Who can submit?
Anyone who works within or with local public services. That being said, we don’t usually accept pieces directly from vendors. Stories really need to be told from a local government perspective so if you feel you have a great story you want to place, work with one of your local government clients to help them share their story.
What are some examples?
Here are some examples of local government-submitted pieces that are very different in style, but are all great:
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- Fast paced changes but is it fast enough? A call for action from Coventry City Council
- A council planned night out? You’re having a laugh.
- How Kirklees Council’s pioneering Democracy Friendly Schools programme is inspiring young people to get involved in local democracy
- A strategic partnership between the Gaelic Athletic Association and local government – The GAA Green Club Programme
- Mayor of Glen Eira calls for major shake up of local government in Victoria
What happens next?
When you send us a draft, if our editorial team thinks your article is pretty much ready to go, we’ll publish as soon as we have an available slot. We have to balance our publication schedule, geography and topics, but it doesn’t usually take too long. We’ll proof your article and make minor corrections to typos or for inadvertent grammatical errors and may amend some things to fit house style, but we’ll get back in touch with you if there is anything at all substantial we think needs editing or we’re not sure about something. Then we’ll let you know when it’s published.
What if I don’t have a fully formed article, but I have an idea I want to check?
Not to worry – use our online suggestion box. Drop us a note. We’ll be in touch, we may even be able to work with you to help you craft your article.
What about sharing?
Please do share the link as widely as you’d like, on your organisation intranet, social media, etc.
