Association for Public Service Excellence
Extract: APSE was originally formed in the early 1980's as ADLO (Association of Direct Labour Organisations), in response to the 1980 Planning and Land Act and was expanded to deal with the extension of CCT in the 1988 Local Government Act. Post CCT APSE now focuses on Best Value issues and manages the UK's largest Local Authority Performance Benchmarking Network.

Association of Council Secretaries and Solicitors
Extract: ACSeS was formed in 1995 following the merger of the Association of District Secretaries and the Society of County Secretaries. ACSeS is the only organisation representing legal/administrative managers in local government in England and Wales.

Association of Directors of Social Services
Extract: The Association of Directors of Social Services represents all the directors of social services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In addition to these 179 full members it has a number of associate, retired and honorary members all whom have previously been Directors of Social Services and now work elsewhere.

Association of Police Authorities
Extract: The Association of Police Authorities was set up on 1 April 1997 to represent police authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland on all matters related to police policy issues, finance and service conditions. It is an autonomous body working in partnership with the Local Government Association.

Audit Commission
Extract: The Audit Commission appoints auditors to all local authorities and NHS bodies in England and Wales, and helps to bring about improvements in economy, efficiency and effectiveness through value for money studies and the audit process.

Bar Association for Local Government and the Public Service
Extract: The Bar Association for Local Government and the Public Service is a direct successor of the Society of Local Government Barristers, which had been in existence since about 1945, and of the Bar Association for Local Government, which had been formed in 1977. Membership is open to all barristers employed in Local Government and the Public Sector (including those in the civil service and in the armed forces) and bar students.

British Chambers of Commerce
Extract: The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) is the national voice for local business representing the views of Approved Chambers and their members to key policy makers and opinion formers in Brussels, Westminster and Whitehall.

Chartered Institute of Environmental Health
Extract: The Chartered Institute was founded in 1883 and is an entirely independent organisation representing the interests of the environmental health profession. It offers a range of professional, educational and membership services, as well as training courses, events and publications.

Chartered Institute of Housing
Extract: The Chartered Institute of Housing is the professional organisation for people who work in housing. Its purpose is to take a strategic and leading role in encouraging and promoting the provision of good quality affordable housing for all. The Institute has more than 15,000 members working in local authorities, housing associations and other social landlords, the private sector and educational institutions.

Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy
Extract: CIPFA is the leading accountancy body for public services, whether in the public or private sectors. Many existing members occupy positions of influence in Local Authorities, NHS Trusts, Central Government, Housing, Education, Water, Electricity and Gas companies and private sector organisations such as Halifax Plc, IBM, Marks and Spencer and the World Bank. CIPFA members are also employed by all of the top accounting firms.

Commission for Local Administration in England
Extract: The Local Government Ombudsmen investigate complaints of injustice arising from maladministration by local authorities and certain other bodies.

Commission for Racial Equality
Extract: The Commission for Racial Equality is working for a just society which gives everyone an equal chance to learn, work and live free from discrimination and prejudice and from the fear of racial harassment and violence.

Confederation of British Industry
Extract: The CBI is the UK's leading employers' organiation. Representing over 250,000 public and private sector companies, it is Britain's business voice.

Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
Extract: Local government in Scotland is represented collectively by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA). Formed in 1975, COSLA exists to promote and protect the interests of councils in Scotland by providing a forum for discussion of matters of common concern. COSLA ascertains the views of member councils and communicates these to central government, other bodies and the public. All councils in Scotland are members of COSLA.

Countryside Agency
Extract: The Countryside Agency is the new statutory body working: to conserve and enhance the countryside; to promote social equity and economic opportunity for the people who live there; to help everyone, wherever they live, to enjoy this national asset.

County Councils Network
Extract: The CCN Website gives you a single point of access for enquiries about the English Counties. The site gives details of County policy interests and links to the websites of our county members.

Employers Organisation
Extract: The Employers' Organisation for Local Government is a company limited by guarantee, set up in 1999 by the Local Government Association and the Welsh Local Government Association to provide national support to local authorities as employers.

English Sports Council
Extract: The objective of the English Sports Council (now Sport England) is to lead the development of sport in England by influencing and serving the public, private and voluntary sectors.

I&DeA & SOLACE National Coaching Partnership
SOLACE and I&DeA, along with 5 partner organisations, are pleased to be able to offer our members individual coaching, the National Coaching Partnership provides highly focused development for people at the top of their profession. For more details just follow this link to the I&DeA web-site.

Improvement and Development Agency
Extract: The Improvement and Development Agency for local government was formed, together with the Employers' Organisation, out of the reorganisation of the Local Government Management Board. Launched on the 1st April 1999 the aims of the IDeA are to : assist local authorities to improve their performance; help local authorities establish peer review and continuous improvement; encourage training, exchange of good practice and assistance for poor performing services; develop skills of council members, managers and staff; commission, evaluate and disseminate Best Practice information.

Institute of Local Government Studies
Extract: The Institute of Local Government Studies (INLOGOV) is a department of the School of Public Policy at the University of Birmingham whose staff interests focus particularly around the professional and management development agendas of local governance.

LGA
Extract: The LGA's mission is to be an effective, national representative organisation that promotes democratic and effective local government in the service and support of communities which are safe, prosperous, healthy and pleasant to live in; and which provides efficient support to member authorities and councillors.

LGA / IDA Local Agenda 21 UK
Extract: The Sustainable Development Unit at the Improvement and Development Agency provides UK local authorities with guidance on sustainable development. It is responsible for managing the national Local Agenda 21 (LA21) initiative and the local authority Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) on behalf of UK local government.

Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services
Extract: LACORS provide and disseminate comprehensive advice, guidance, good practice and information to make a major contribution to the development of high quality, consistent and coordinated local authority regulatory and related services across the UK

Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales
Extract: The Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales was established in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. Its role is to keep under review all local government areas in Wales, and the electoral arrangements for the principal areas, and to make such proposals to the Secretary of State for Wales as seem desirable in the interests of effective and convenient local government.

Local Government Commission for England
Extract: The Local Government Commission for England (LGCE) is an independent body set up by Parliament. Its task is to review and make recommendations to the Government on whether there should be changes to the structure of local government, the boundaries of individual local authority areas, and their electoral arrangements, such as the number of councillors the electors in each area should have to represent them.

Local Government Information Unit
Extract: The Local Government Information Unit is an independent research and lobbying organisation dedicated to promoting local democracy.

Local Government International Bureau
Extract: The Local Government International Bureau, a company limited by guarantee, functions as the European and international arm of the Local Government Association for England and Wales (LGA). LGIB also represents the Association of Local Authorities in Northern Ireland. It also acts as the all UK member of international organisations, in particular the Council of European Municipalities and Regions(CEMR), a pan-European association of national local authority associations, and the International Union of Local Authorities(IULA).

Local Government International Development Resource Centre
Extract: LOGOV- the Local Government and International Development Resource Centre is a telematic initiative aimed to create a communicational space for people and institutions from all over the world interested on and concerned with: democracy, governance and the promotion of citizens' rights at the local level; urban management and the efficient provision of services; poverty alleviation and sustainable development in developing countries and transitional economies.

National Audit Office
Extract: The National Audit Office, employing some 750 staff, is totally independent of Government. The head of the Office, the Comptroller and Auditor General, certifies the accounts of all Government Departments and a wide range of other public sector bodies, and has statutory authority to report to Parliament on the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which Departments and other bodies have used their resources.

National Council for Voluntary Organisations
Extract: The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) is the umbrella body for the voluntary sector in England, with sister councils in : Wales (Wales Council for Voluntary Action, WCVA); Scotland (Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, SCVO); Northern Ireland (Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action, NICVA).

Parliamentary Monitoring and Intelligence Serivice
Extract: The Local Government Association Parliamentary Monitoring and Intelligence Service (PAMIS), provides specialist coverage of the activities of parliament as they affect local government. The service keeps subscribers fully informed of parliamentary activities across the whole range of service functions and provides information on specific local issues of interest to individual authorities and organisations.

Public Management and Policy Association
Extract: The Public Management and Policy Association is a membership organisation that brings together managers and policy-makers from different disciplines across the public services and provides a forum in which they can discuss public policy and management issues that straddle programmes and sectors and affect all managers working in the public services.

Society of Information Technology Management
Extract: The primary objective of SOCITM is to promote the effective and efficient use of Information Technology in Local Government and the Public Sector.

Society of Procurement Officers (SOPO)
The aim of SOPO is to promote the strategic purchasing; contracting and supplies function within local government, by providing guidance to Purchasing and Procurement staff, including the promotion of best practice and best value between all member authorities.

The Public Sector Benchmarking Service (PSBS)
Promotes - effective benchmarking in the public sector
Supports - benchmarking projects
Brokers - learning through sharing knowledge and good practices
Supplies - practical advice and information on benchmarking

Trades Union Congress
Extract: Just as workers benefit by joining together in a union, so unions gain strength by acting together through the TUC - the Trades Union Congress. The TUC brings unions together to draw up common policies on issues like employment law, ways of tackling unemployment, and other workplace issues.

UK Local Government
Extract: The "local.gov" site is built to provide you with information on Local Government and how it works.

UK Local Government Alliance for International Development
The UK Local Government Alliance for International Development is a network of local government bodies and local authorities working together to boost local authorities’ involvement in international development. Through partnerships between individual councils or between local government associations in different countries, local authorities can tackle common problems and learn from and support each other though practical help in training and development or technical help around particular services.

UK Resilience
This site is run by the News Co-ordination Centre, part of the UK Cabinet Office's Civil Contingencies Secretariat. The CCS is a co-ordinating body and centre of expertise set up to improve the resilience of Central Government and of the UK - please see our role for details of the Secretariat's structure and work.

UNISON
Extract: UNISON is Britain's biggest and brightest trade union with over 1.3 million members. UNISON members are people working in the public services, for private contractors providing public services and the essential utilities. They include manual and white collar staff working full or part time in local authorities, the NHS, colleges and schools, the electricity, gas and water industries, transport and the voluntary sector.

Welsh Local Government Association
Extract: The Welsh Local Government Association (Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru) was established in April 1996 to represent and promote the interests of the new unitary local authorities in Wales.

West Midlands Local Government Association
Extract: Through the content of the site WMLGA aim to provide a guide to the work of the Association, the WMLGA Committees and our partner organisations.