Improvement
Our aim is to support councils in their continuing journey of innovation and improvement by:
- Lobbying to create the freedom and flexibility necessary at local level to enable councils to innovate and develop new ways of working
- Working with councils and other local government owned improvement organisations to develop and deliver appropriate support
Our work is led by the LGA Improvement Programme Board, chaired by Councillor Peter Fleming (Sevenoaks)
The board has identified five priority areas of work:
- To support strong and effective local leadership – by shaping and delivering the LGA's leadership programmes to ensure that the sector is supported to provide effective leadership to councils and communities.
Political leadership
Managerial leadership
- To promote innovation and experimentation – by working with stakeholders and councils to develop; share and promote innovative practice in the sector
- To help councils become more productive – by leading and shaping the LGA's Productivity programme in order to ensure the programme helps councils achieve savings and provides a mechanism for bringing councils together to share innovation and learn from each other
- To influence the transparency agenda – in a way that helps councils strengthen local accountability and also reduces the burden of data reporting to Government
- To help councils continue to improve – by implementing 'Taking the lead' – in particular effective delivery of the LGA seven-point support offer; ensuring effective arrangements are in place to monitor the risk of underperformance; putting in place arrangements to evaluate the effectiveness of 'Taking the lead'.
Self-regulation and improvement
Our team of principal and senior advisers are the first point of contact for councils with improvement needs. They operate alongside the sector's sub-national improvement organisations. (insert link to PAs Geographic allocations)
To enquire about any aspect of the Improvement Board's work please
Email: Improvement@local.gov.uk
Related Resources
Sector-owned improvement organisations are also in place at sub-national level, but following the withdrawal of Government funding the regional improvement and efficiency partnerships (RIEPs) are in transition:
North East: RIEP legacy activity is run through ANEC (Association of North East Councils) after the RIEP closed on 31 March 2011
North West: North West IEP is in the process of closing down. A transition programme has been put in place until the end of March 2012 with NW Employers and NWEG delivering the final parts of the IEP programme
North West Improvement and Efficiency Partnership website
Yorkshire and the Humber: Yorkshire and the Humber Improvement and Efficiency Partnership, YoHr Space, is in the process of closing, with the aim of closing down by 31 March 2012: all remaining RIEP activity will then be run through LGYH (Local Government Yorkshire and Humber).
Yorkshire and the Humber Improvement and Efficiency Partnership
East Midlands: All remaining RIEP activity is now run through East Midland Councils
East Midlands Councils website
West Midlands: IEWM continues to operate and a two-year programme until March 2013
Improvement and Efficiency West Midlands website
East: Improvement East continues to operate and a new three to four-year programme is now in place
London: London Councils and Capital Ambition have merged. All RIEP activity is now run through London Councils
South East: IESE continues to operate with a four-year business plan in place up to 31 March 2015
Efficiency Network South East website
South West: SWIEP closed on 31 March 2011 all remaining RIEP activity is run through SW Councils
Until the transition to the new LGA website is complete, further content can be found on:
LGA website (member only)
