Local Government Information Unit

Last updated

The Local Government information Unit (LGiU) is a local government membership body, thinktank and registered charity. Established in 1983 as a membership organisation for UK local authorities, the LGiU states that its mission is to strengthen local democracy and put citizens in control of their own lives, communities and services. [1] The LGiU has around 200 local authority members across the UK and Republic of Ireland and a wide range of associate members and partner organisations.

The Chief Executive is Jonathan Carr-West, formerly of the RSA. Andy Sawford was Chief Executive of the LGiU until 2012, when he was elected MP for Corby. The Chair of the Board is Councillor Michael Payne of Gedling Borough Council, Nottinghamshire. In July 2008 the LGiU was voted Thinktank of the Year in the Public Affairs News Awards. [2]

The LGiU has released a number of publications on policy areas including devolution, localism, adult social care, public-private sector partnerships and the role of local authorities in the schools system. They also frequently publish policy briefings for members, as well as a daily news service. They run the Cllr Achievement Awards, which recognises achievement in local government.

The LGiU is Secretariat to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Local Government, current chaired by Chris Clarkson, MP formerly chaired by Heather Wheeler MP. [3]

The Centre for Public Service Partnerships (CPSP) and the Local Government Information Unit joined forces in January 2010, forming a unit known as CPSP @ LGiU. [4] Writer John Tizard, formerly the CPSP's director, became the head of the new unit. [5]

In September 2015, LGiU launched LGiU Scotland, a policy information service dedicated to local government across Scotland. In 2017, LGiU launched LGiU Ireland. In 2020, LGiU in collaboration with SGS Economics and Planning launched LGiU Australia.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Housing association</span> Organisations providing low-cost "social housing"

In Ireland and the United Kingdom, housing associations are private, non-profit making organisations that provide low-cost "social housing" for people in need of a home. Any budget surplus is used to maintain existing housing and to help finance new homes and it cannot be used for personal benefit of directors or shareholders. Although independent, they are regulated by the state and commonly receive public funding. They are now the United Kingdom's major providers of new housing for rent, while many also run shared ownership schemes to help those who cannot afford to buy a home outright.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Councils</span>

London Councils is the local government association for Greater London, England. It is a cross-party organisation that represents London's 32 borough councils and the City of London. It was formed in 1995 as a merger of the London Boroughs Association and the Association of London Authorities. In April 2000 it gained further functions as strategic local government in London was reorganised. London Councils is a think tank and lobbying organisation, and also provides some services directly through legislation that allows multiple local authorities to pool responsibility and funding. London Councils is based at 59½ Southwark Street.

ODI, formerly the Overseas Development Institute, is a global affairs think tank, founded in 1960. Its mission is "to inspire people to act on injustice and inequality through collaborative research and ideas that matter for people and the planet." It does this through "research, convening and influencing, to lead new thinking and future agendas to deliver transformational change." Its chair is Suma Chakrabarti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Convention of Scottish Local Authorities</span> National association of Scottish councils

The Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) is the national association of Scottish councils and acts as an employers' association for its 32 member authorities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Local Government Association</span>

The Local Government Association (LGA) is the national membership body for local authorities in England and Wales. Its core membership is made up of 317 English councils and the 22 Welsh councils through the Welsh Local Government Association. 

The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK is the membership organisation for United Kingdom professionals involved in the movement of goods and people, and their associated supply chains. It is a National Council of CILT International.

In the United Kingdom, counselling is not under statutory regulation, and is overseen and supported by several organisations, none of which are officially recognised by the government.

NAVCA is the national membership body for local support and development organisations in England. It is a registered charity (1001635), based in Sheffield, and was previously called the National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service (NACVS).

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) is a membership organisation and the only national body representing the interests of local councils. NALC works in partnership with county associations to support, promote and improve local councils.

The Wilberforce Society (TWS) is an independent, non-partisan, student think tank, named after MP, Cambridge alumnus and abolitionist William Wilberforce, based at the University of Cambridge. It was founded in 2009 and is a registered charity. TWS aims to "promote constructive and intelligent debate" around the University of Cambridge, and "represents the views of moderate students," offering undergraduates and graduates "the opportunity to become involved with policy conception and analysis with the possibility of genuine impact." TWS follows an independent, diverse and non-partisan policy agenda set by the executive committee, but also carries out commissions for external organisations and public figures, which have included members of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Manchester Combined Authority</span> Local government body in North West England

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is a combined authority for Greater Manchester, England. It was established on 1 April 2011 and consists of 11 members; 10 indirectly elected members, each a directly elected councillor from one of the ten metropolitan boroughs that comprise Greater Manchester, together with the directly elected Mayor of Greater Manchester. The authority derives most of its powers from the Local Government Act 2000 and Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, and replaced a range of single-purpose joint boards and quangos to provide a formal administrative authority for Greater Manchester for the first time since the abolition of Greater Manchester County Council in 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Kelsey</span>

Tim Kelsey is an English-Australian business executive. He is CEO of Beamtree,, an Australian healthcare company (ASX:BMT) based in Sydney, Australia. He started in the role in December 2020.

TheCityUK is a private-sector membership body and industry advocacy group promoting the financial and related professional services industry of the United Kingdom (UK). TheCityUK is often referred to as the industry's "most powerful" or "most prominent" lobbyists with close links to the UK Government and to policymakers in Brussels and Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Council for Voluntary Youth Services</span>

The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) was a membership network of over 200 voluntary and community organisations, as well as local and regional networks, that work with and for young people across England. The organisation closed in 2016. For 80 years, NCVYS acted as an independent voice of the voluntary and community youth sector, working to inform and influence public policy, supporting members to improve the quality of their work, and also raising the profile of the voluntary and community sector's work with young people.

The Family and Parenting Institute is an independent charity that exists to make the UK a better place for families and children. It works with charities, businesses, and public services to offer practical help to families. Its campaigns and research work focus on building a "family friendly" society by offering insights into current and future family life. It runs the Family Friendly scheme, which aims to help public and private organisations to better understand diverse families and meet their needs. The Family and Parenting Institute merged with the Daycare Trust in January 2013 and is now called the Family and Childcare Trust.

Andrew Sawford is a British politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Corby from 2012 to 2015. A member of the Labour and Co-operative parties, he was a Shadow Minister for Communities and Local Government from 2013 to 2015.

The United Kingdom has a diverse cyber security community, interconnected in a complex network.

The Behavioural Insights Team (BIT), also known unofficially as the "Nudge Unit", is a UK-based global social purpose organisation that generates and applies behavioural insights to inform policy and improve public services, following nudge theory. Using social engineering, as well as techniques in psychology, behavioral economics, and marketing, the purpose of the organisation is to influence public thinking and decision making in order to improve compliance with government policy and thereby decrease social and government costs related to inaction and poor compliance with policy and regulation. The Behavioural Insights Team has been headed by British psychologist David Halpern since its formation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalie Elphicke</span> British Conservative politician

Natalie Cecilia Elphicke is a British Conservative Party politician and finance lawyer. At the 2019 general election, she was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Dover, succeeding her then husband Charlie Elphicke following charges for sexual harassment.

At around £290 billion every year, public sector procurement accounts for around a third of all public expenditure in the UK. EU-based laws continue to apply to government procurement: procurement is governed by the Public Contracts Regulations 2015, Part 3 of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015, and the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations of 2015 and 2016. These regulations implement EU law, which applied in the UK prior to Brexit, and also contain rules known as the "Lord Young Rules" promoting access for small and medium enterprise (SMEs) to public sector contracts, based on Lord Young's Review Growing Your Business, published in 2013.

References

  1. "About | LGIU: Local Government Information Unit". LGIU. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  2. "The 2013 Public Affairs News Awards". Publicaffairsnews.com. 2013-11-14. Archived from the original on 2010-03-29. Retrieved 2014-01-05.
  3. heatherwheeler.org.uk
  4. Public Sector Executive, The Centre for Public Service Partnerships and the Local Government Information Unit are joining forces, published 14 December 2009, accessed 15 August 2020
  5. CPSP and LGiU partnership, published 11 December 2009, accessed 15 August 2020