Local Government Association

What Local Government Association does

The Local Government Association (LGA) is the national membership body for local authorities in England and Wales, founded in 1997 and headquartered at 18 Smith Square, Westminster, London. The organisation is politically led, cross-party, and serves 316 of the 317 English councils plus 22 Welsh unitary councils via the Welsh Local Government Association, alongside associate members including fire and rescue authorities, police and crime commissioners, national park authorities, and town and parish councils. Its purpose is to act as the national voice of local government and to ensure councils have the resources, powers, and support to deliver services and improve outcomes for communities.

The LGA delivers a comprehensive platform of services spanning sector support, peer review, training, and improvement programmes. Core service lines include the Sector Support Programme, Corporate Peer Challenge, Finance Improvement & Sustainability Associates (FISA), Children's Services Improvement, Partners in Care and Health, the Council Housebuilding Support Service (CHoSS), and the Cyber, Digital and Technology Programme. Tools and content include the LG Inform benchmarking platform, the monthly 'first' magazine reaching 18,200 councillors and chief executives, and 20+ topic-specific e-bulletins. The LGA also runs national campaigns (Be a Councillor, Make a Difference recruitment, Step Ahead) and development programmes including the Impact Graduate Programme. Its technology stack is service-oriented rather than product-led: digital portals, benchmarking data feeds, and communications platforms rather than proprietary commercial technology products.

Revenue is generated through a combination of council membership subscriptions and UK Government grants for specific funded programmes (including CHoSS funded by MHCLG, the Cyber/Digital/Tech programme, and the national recruitment campaign). The LGA holds ISO 9001 certification, operates with 501-1,000 employees, and is governed through five cross-party political groups (Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat, Independent, Reform UK) with a sixth Green Group to be formally established in July 2026. Internationally, it participates in the Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR), United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG), the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF), the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, and engages with the OECD Centre for Cities.

Name

Local Government Association

Legal name

Local Government Association

Website

https://local.gov.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Local Government Association (LGA) is the UK national membership body for 316 of 317 English councils and 22 Welsh councils, delivering peer review, training, sector improvement programmes, political advocacy, and government-funded support services across all council functions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Sector Support Services

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Mayor/City Manager & General Administration (BPAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Government Accountability, Ethics & Anti-Corruption Advocacy (BPAGAFAN), State/Provincial Human Services & Benefits Administration (Welfare, Disability, Child & Family) (BPAIABAI), Housing & Neighborhood Services (Local Housing Programs) (BPAIACAJ)

Keywords

• Local government support
• Council peer challenge
• Public sector membership
• Sector-led improvement
• Political advocacy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Westminster

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership subscriptions: The LGA operates as a membership organization with councils paying subscriptions. Core membership comprises 316 of 317 councils in England and 22 Welsh unitary councils via the Welsh LGA. Associate membership is available for fire and rescue authorities, police and crime commissioners, national parks, and town and parish councils.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Local Government Association is the national membership body for councils in England and Wales, providing sector support, peer-led improvement programmes, training and development, political advocacy, and access to a national voice on policy. It delivers core programmes such as Corporate Peer Challenge, Finance Improvement & Sustainability Associates (FISA), Children's Services Improvement, Partners in Care and Health, Cyber/Digital/Technology Support, and the Council Housebuilding Support Service (CHoSS), alongside the LG Inform benchmarking data tool, national recruitment and councillor campaigns, and the Impact graduate programme. Services are provided free or on a subsidised basis to member councils, funded through council membership subscriptions and UK Government grants.

Product overview

The Local Government Association operates as a national membership body providing a platform-plus-services model, offering core support programmes (Sector Support Programme, Corporate Peer Challenge, Finance Improvement & Sustainability Associates), specialist service-specific support (Children's Services Improvement, Partners in Care and Health, Cyber/Digital/Technology Support, Council Housebuilding Support Service), communication tools (E-bulletins, LG Inform benchmarking), national campaigns (Be a Councillor, Make a Difference recruitment, Step Ahead for care-experienced youth), development programmes (Impact Graduate Programme), and facilities (18 Smith Square Conference Centre). All services are delivered free or subsidised to member councils in England and Wales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• first magazine: Monthly membership magazine for 18,200 councillors and local authority chief executives in England and Wales
• LG Inform
• LG Inform Value for Money Profiles
• Finance Unpacked
• Council Housebuilding Support Service (CHoSS)
• Comms Hub
• Artificial Intelligence Hub
• Cyber and Digital Bulletin

Products and services

• Sector Support Programme A comprehensive sector support programme funded by UK Government providing councils with training, peer reviews, improvement programmes, networking, and best practice sharing across all local authority functions and services.
• Corporate Peer Challenge A flagship peer challenge programme providing robust, strategic assessment and support to local authorities through member and officer peers to drive improvements and deliver better outcomes for communities.
• Council Housebuilding Support Service (CHoSS) A fully funded national improvement programme helping councils strengthen capacity, capability and confidence to deliver more council homes, forming part of the national effort to deliver 1.5 million homes.
• Cyber, Digital and Technology Support Programme providing advice, guidance, training, workshops, knowledge-sharing events, case studies, grants and resources to support councils in developing knowledge, skills and tools for modern and secure digital public services.
• Finance Improvement & Sustainability Associates (FISA) Support programme where former local authority chief finance officers provide financial health checks, budget support, and member peer assistance to councils facing financial challenges.
• Children's Services Improvement Programme Wide range of free or subsidised support on children's services improvement including SEND improvement, corporate parenting, early years, and development opportunities for children's services leaders.
• Partners in Care and Health Specialist support for adult social care, providing improvement and advisory services to help councils deliver effective care services.
• LG Inform Free data benchmarking tool presenting up-to-date data about local areas and council performance with access to over 1,000 individual items of published data for England.
• Be a Councillor Campaign National campaign aimed at increasing the pool of talent from which councillors are elected, encouraging different kinds of people to stand for election.
• Make a Difference, Work for Your Local Council Campaign National recruitment campaign addressing staffing pressures across UK local government, showcasing over 800 different job roles available across councils.
• Step Ahead Campaign Campaign ensuring care-experienced young people get the best start to adult life by improving support to them directly and improving support provided to councils.
• Impact: The Local Government Graduate Programme Fast-track graduate programme matching bright individuals with councils across the country for career development in local government.
• 18 Smith Square Conference Centre Event spaces and meeting rooms in Westminster, London available for hire for conferences and meetings.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of councils receiving Corporate Peer Challenge support reported positive impact
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Pensions Management Institute (PMI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 March 2026The Pensions Management Institute launched a Development Partnership initiative with three inaugural participants including the LGA to expand training and development offerings for the pensions sector. The partnerships provide access to PMI's qualification programmes, CPD services, and bespoke training initiatives, addressing recruitment and retention challenges in pension administration.
• Belong NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2026The Belong Network published guidance on building social cohesion for local authorities in Britain, endorsed by the LGA. Training on the guidance will be organized by Belong and the LGA beginning in early 2026. The guidance provides a framework for developing social cohesion strategies including legislative duties, governance models, and stakeholder engagement processes.
• Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe LGA is a full member of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe. The Congress brings together local and regional authorities from across Europe to promote local democracy and governance.
• Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe LGA is a full member of CEMR, working with European local government associations on shared priorities including local government finance, democracy, and governance.
• Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe LGA Senior Vice-Chair serves as Senior Vice-Chair of CLGF, working on local government matters across Commonwealth countries.
• United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe LGA Chair serves as full member of UCLG with the Leader of the LGA Labour Group as substitute, engaging on global local government issues.
• Committee of the Regions (CoR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe LGA participates in the UK Contact Group of the Committee of the Regions, engaging with EU regional and local authority representatives.
• OECD Centre for CitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe LGA works with the OECD Centre for Cities on urban and local economic research and policy development.
• CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe LGA has a partnership with CIPD providing the People Insights Tool offering 360 survey of a council's HR People service, supporting HR services improvement.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA): National membership body representing the 22 Welsh unitary councils. Directly comparable as a sister body operating the same membership-and-advocacy model for local government in a different UK jurisdiction, and already collaborates with the LGA.
• Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA): Scottish equivalent national membership body for local authorities, performing the same political representation, sector support, and convening functions as the LGA but for Scotland's 32 councils.
• Northern Ireland Local Government Association (NILGA): Northern Ireland's national membership body for the 11 local councils. Operates an analogous council-representation and improvement-support model in another UK jurisdiction.

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Counties (NACo): US national membership organisation representing over 3,000 county governments. Comparable as a large-scale national voice for sub-national government delivering policy advocacy, training, peer programmes and conferences to member jurisdictions.
• Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM): Canadian national association of over 2,000 municipalities offering advocacy, training programmes and international partnerships. Closely analogous to the LGA in remit, scale and member-funded model.
• Australian Local Government Association (ALGA): National peak body for Australia's 537 local councils, providing national policy representation and capacity-building programmes. Functionally equivalent to the LGA across advocacy, training and convening.

Emerging players

• Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE): UK membership body for local authority chief executives and senior officers. Overlaps with LGA on leadership development, peer networks and workforce support but serves the officer cohort rather than elected members, making it an adjacent rather than direct competitor.
• Council of European Municipalities and Regions (CEMR): Pan-European association of national local government associations, of which the LGA is a full member. Comparable in advocacy and capacity-building remit but operates at supranational level rather than within a single country.
• County Councils Network (CCN): UK-based network representing 26 county councils and unitary authorities providing advocacy on their specific interests. Overlaps with LGA's representational role but for a narrower member segment, making it a partial peer and potential substitute.
• District Councils Network (DCN): UK network representing 164 district councils. Like CCN, it overlaps with LGA on policy advocacy and member services but focuses on a specific council tier, positioning it as a competing voice within LGA's broader membership.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/lgacomms
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/LocalGovAssoc
• Facebookfacebook.com/LocalGovAssoc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/local-government-association

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Local Government Association