Publications

The LGA alongside the Association for Public Services Excellence (ASPE), and Chief Cultural and Leisure Officers Association (CLOA) consulted with over 250 councils and a wide range of stakeholders to seek their views on what needs to change so that public sport and leisure services can operate sustainably and deliver the best outcomes for communities.

This guide has been written to help councils in an emergency position mobilise their leisure service. It is not intended to instruct or encourage councils to bring leisure services back in-house but instead provides appropriate tools and considerations to support the process. Councils are advised to take their own due diligence to evaluate their individual options. The guide is correct as of June 2021.

Case study report

Creativity has a role to play in shaping our response to climate change, globalisation and technological innovation – and in enabling the economy and society to ‘bounce forwards’ from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

From the beginning of lockdown, it was apparent that COVID-19 would have a significant impact on the culture, leisure, tourism and sport sectors. To gain a better understanding of this impact, the Local Government Association (LGA) undertook a series of interviews with senior council officers for culture and leisure between April and June 2020.

This advice note aims to update councils on the impact the COVID-19 pandemic is having on leisure providers operating services and facilities owned and delivered on behalf of councils.

Culture is who we are. It is our heritage and future. It is how we live our lives and express our identities. It is art, music, film, fashion, design, even gaming. But it is much more: it is what defines us and how we are changing. For local authorities, culture can be viewed as part of the glue that brings and keeps our communities together.

Produced with Arts Council England, this handbook shares innovative case studies and advice for council-run museums, including operating models, partnership working and how museums can contribute to wider local priorities.

Based on a set of six case studies from across England, the research findings highlight the significant challenges the sector faces in retaining its competitive edge in terms of productivity, recruitment and skills.

The LGA Culture, Tourism and Sport Board commissioned this guide to see how cultural-led generation can be done, so councils across the country can look at examples that work for them and possibly do something similar.