Local Government Information Unit (LGIU)

What Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) does

The Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) is a UK-registered charity and private membership organisation founded in 1983 to support and empower local government. It serves staff and councillors at 260+ member councils across England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Ireland, providing policy intelligence, training, events, research, and peer networking to help navigate complex local government challenges.

Its core product is the LGIU Membership programme, which provides subscribers with Daily News updates, policy roundups, the Future Local Lab innovation programme, research and policy reports, training and events, newsletter services, and tailored horizon scanning and facilitation. The technology infrastructure is built on a WordPress-based website using standard third-party plugins including Wufoo for form functionality, SurveyMonkey for surveys, and Google Analytics for traffic measurement. LGIU also operates supplementary offerings including the 'Local Government Explained' educational platform with topical explainers covering climate, social care, housing, and finance.

The organisation generates revenue through annual corporate membership subscriptions from local government councils and partner organisations, supplemented by training programme fees and event revenue, with members receiving a 25% discount on training. Distribution is direct via a sales-led model to enterprise buyers in the public sector, supported by a multi-channel content engine (daily email newsletters, research publications, webinars, and in-person events). LGIU also acts as secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Local Government since 2005 and holds strategic partnerships with CIPFA, Scape, and academic institutions for joint research output.

Name

Local Government Information Unit (LGIU)

Legal name

Local Government Information Unit

Website

https://lgiu.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

LGIU is a UK and Ireland membership organisation, founded in 1983, that provides policy intelligence, research, training, and events to 260+ local government councils. It operates as a registered charity serving councillors and council staff with daily news, research reports, and peer networking.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Government Policy Research and Membership Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392), Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Think Tanks, Policy Research & Public Policy Institutes (BPAGAFAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education Policy Research Institutes & Think Tanks (EDADADAA)

Keywords

• Local government policy
• Membership services
• Policy research
• Professional training
• Think tank services

Headquarters

HQ city

London

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Corporate Membership: LGIU generates revenue through corporate membership fees from local government councils and partner organisations across the UK and Ireland. Membership provides access to resources, training discounts, events, and research outputs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

LGIU is a member-owned think tank and professional development body that sells corporate membership subscriptions to local government councils and partner organisations in the UK and Ireland. The subscription provides daily news briefings, policy roundups, 500+ research and resource outputs annually, training and event discounts, peer networking, and tailored facilitation support. It is supplemented by paid training programmes, bespoke facilitation, and joint research outputs delivered through the LGIU website portal.

Product overview

LGIU operates as a membership-based think tank and professional development organisation for local government. The core offering is the LGIU Membership programme, which provides councils with access to Daily News updates, the Future Local Lab innovation programme, Research & Policy Reports, Training & Events, and Newsletter Services. The portfolio also includes the Local Government Explained educational platform with topical explainers, and tailored support services like horizon scanning and facilitation. The organisation delivers over 500 resources annually and connects 30,000+ local government professionals across 300+ member councils in the UK, Ireland, and internationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Future Local Lab: A holistic programme of resources to help local government prepare for and respond to the emerging challenges facing the sector internationally
• LGIU Ireland
• LGIU Scotland

Products and services

• LGIU Membership Corporate subscription membership for local government councils and partner organisations across the UK and Ireland, providing access to daily news, policy roundups, 500+ resources annually, training discounts (25%), member-only events, horizon scanning, and facilitation support.
• Future Local Lab A forward-looking programme of resources, briefings, and a monthly newsletter helping local government councils prepare for and respond to emerging challenges such as technology change and climate change.
• Training and Events Professional development programme for councils including open online training, in-person events, member-only global panel discussions, Ask the Expert sessions, and bespoke in-house training covering finance, leadership, governance, and sector-specific skills. Members receive a 25% discount.
• Research and Policy Reports Solutions-focused research programme driven by members' priorities, covering local government finance, devolution, LGR, social care, and sector reforms, often delivered in joint research outputs with strategic partners such as CIPFA and Scape.
• Local Government Explained Educational resource breaking down how local government works across England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Ireland, with facts, figures, and topical explainers covering climate change, cultural services, children's services, adult social care, finance, housing, and planning.
• Horizon Scanning and Facilitation Tailored paid support including horizon scanning workshops, leadership learning exchanges, and facilitation for specific council projects including Local Government Reorganisation (LGR) planning.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of members reported trusting the LGIU

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLGIU and CIPFA conduct joint research projects, including a series on National Care Service exploring different paths in England, Scotland and Wales. The partnership combines LGIU's local government expertise with CIPFA's public finance knowledge to produce influential policy research.
• All-Party Parliamentary Group on Local GovernmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLGIU has acted as the Group's secretariat since its inception in 2005. This long-standing relationship enables LGIU to influence national policy discussions and ensure local government has a seat at the table for policy decisions affecting the sector.
• Scape (Public Sector Procurement)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLGIU partners with Scape on research examining local authority infrastructure project delivery. Joint reports such as 'Delivering Through Change' draw on evidence from senior officers across councils to explore forces shaping capital projects.
• Strategic Partners (Academic and Practitioner)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLGIU's research programme brings together experts, practitioners and academics to investigate key challenges for local democracy. Partnerships include academic institutions, expert practitioners, and sector organisations.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lgiu-local-government-information-unit

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 Information Unit (LGIU)