Global Local
Global Local is a newsletter and information platform sharing local solutions to global challenges.
Local solutions to global challenges
Local solutions for global challenges with some of the best resources you’ll ever use. Our full Global Local subscription unlocks critical insights, policy suggestions and case studies for elected representatives and local government staff, helping you do more for your communities.
At the LGIU (Local Government Information Unit) we believe that the most innovative and effective answers to the global challenges that we all face are coming from local governments around the world. But when you work in local government, finding the time to connect with what colleagues in other countries are doing is never easy.
Our Global Local subscription service creates that connection for you. We bring you the best from councils, researchers, public bodies and innovators for citizen engagement. Our team connects you with the latest thinking around complex problems in an accessible and digestible format. We provide an unbiased, critical view of how local government colleagues everywhere are tackling the same issues that you and your communities are facing.
From environmental and transport policies to childcare, culture, public health and wastewater programmes, we explore a different theme in depth each week. Our team presents several approaches to each topic and examines how big ideas become practical solutions. We increase your awareness, provide analysis and explore transferable lessons for regional government strategy.
This is your go to source of knowledge and inspiration refreshed every week. Because when ideas are shared, they bring global problems down to earth, enabling you to serve citizens with greater confidence.
What you'll discover in Global Local
Subscribers receive the full newsletter every week. It contains:
- Original long-form features from the LGiU team, including interviews and policy comparisons.
- Additional reading from our content archives, shedding more light on the week’s theme.
- Inspiration and innovation from local councils in various countries, showing how ideas have been realised in unique communities.
- Policy and resource links that may bolster your action plan or reveal new ways to approach a topic.
Additionally, Global Local members gain:
- Access to the past archive for every newsletter we’ve released.
- Regular global policy briefings.
- Opportunities to get involved in research and networking events.
- Monthly think tank reviews highlighting the latest approaches to solving global challenges.
The first 60 days of membership are free. If your organisation is already a member, then just enter your email address for immediate access and choose Global Local as an update.
Want a teaser? Get our free Global Local: In brief
If you’re considering a Glocal Local subscription but haven’t yet signed up for whatever reason, we have a free weekly newsletter too. It summarises our subjects and offers a sneak peek into some of the content available to members. You’ll receive plenty of actionable insights, even if you’re not a member.
Our Global Local recap is available to anyone so simply sign up to join our mailing list. Enter your email address here and choose Global Local. If you’ve registered on our site, check your preferences to ensure you’ve selected Global Local.
Whenever you’re ready, upgrade to a full subscription to Global Local. It may change your approach to local governance forever.
And if your organisation becomes an LGIU member, you’ll get the full Global Local subscription for free. Get in touch to find out more about corporate membership at info@lgiu.org
Supporting local government every day
Tell us what we should cover
We’re eager to hear which topics, challenges and local success stories you’ve encountered or want to hear about in your role as a councillor. Please share any themes we should cover in Global Local, as well as any feedback you might have. We might even contact you for our next newsletter feature. Spread your thoughts and see how they measure up against those in other communities.
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Who we are
We’re an international team of policy experts who have been working with local governments for many decades. The LGiU was founded 40 years ago to support English councils with information, fresh thinking and policy insight. Now, with services and subscribers around the globe, we continue to support local government every day. We are non-profit, non-partisan and passionate about pragmatic solutions for local communities.
What have we covered in Global Local so far?
From social procurement to energy affordability, each week we provide instant expertise on a range of pressing issues affecting local government.
Catch up via our archive here.
2022 in recap
Check out the highlights from Global Local in 2022. Part 1 focuses on housing and social issues. From tiny houses to supporting refugees from Ukraine and modern slavery to Pride in local government – each week we’ve covered local solutions to global challenges.
Global Local: 2021 in Recap
At the end of our first year of Global Local, we recapped the challenges we shared and the lessons highlighted. Read our overview here.
Recent newsletter editions
Our exclusive archive allows you to access the latest editions of Global Local. Check it out here.
Topical insights
Global Local offers a fresh local government perspective on headline issues – providing nuanced context and highlighting practical responses and policy guidance.
Here are a few recent examples.
Pride 🌈 representation during June and beyond
Our recent Pride edition of Global Local put the spotlight on local government’s responsibility to serve LGBTQIA+ communities, through Pride events, representation and so much more.
We chatted with Carl Austin-Behan, LGBTQ+ Adviser to the Greater Manchester Mayor, about organising effective community-led Pride events and we looked to local governments in Sydney, Bangkok, Germany and Spain for innovative ideas and inspiration.
Extreme heat 🔆 emergency & long-term strategies
We recently focused on the topic of extreme heat, looking at initiatives to mitigate the impact in the long and short term. This includes an insightful first-person account by Daniella Levine Cava, Mayor of Miami-Dade County – an area which certainly knows a thing or two about heat!
We also look to Toronto, Canada and their deep lake water cooling system and over in Australia where the City of Melbourne is deploying innovative initiatives to ensure its urban forest thrives in the long term.
Housing first? 🏠 Ending rough sleeping
In this edition, we explored initiatives to end rough sleeping, particularly focusing on temporary and permanent housing provisions.
Our featured piece considered the pros and cons of tiny houses, asking whether they really are a neat homelessness solution or just a reminder of the problem?
We also looked at how Scotland’s Housing First policy can be utilised by local authorities to combat rising homelessness rates, as well as other initiatives that countries across the globe are implementing in their quest to end homelessness.
Access more
Beyond our flagship newsletter, Global Local connects you with an international community of local government innovators through cutting-edge research, panel events, and a comprehensive case study library shaped by our readers.
Find out what we offer here.
Local Democracy Research Centre
LGIU’s Local Democracy Research Centre brings together experts from local government and academia to do practical research on some of the key challenges for local democracy around the world. Find out more here about our current work and how you can take part in future projects.
Global Local Executive Panel Series
We’re working with global partners to bring you regularly scheduled panel events featuring executive speakers from local government around the globe on a range of important issues. Find out how you can get involved or work with us to co-host an event in this series.
Think Tank Review
Our monthly Think Tank Review surveys the freshest insights and outputs from think tanks relevant to local government worldwide. Read our latest edition here.
Get involved
Join thousands of weekly Global Local subscribers by signing up here and choosing the Global Insight package.
Do you have a story to share on any topic? Which topics would you like us to cover next? We’d love to hear from you.
Drop us a line at ingrid.koehler@lgiu.org or fill in this simple form on our website. You can also get in touch with us via Twitter at @GlobalLocalLGIU.
