The LGA are a politically-led, cross-party organisation that works on behalf of councils to ensure local government has a strong, credible voice with national government. Their aim is to influence and set the political agenda on the issues that matter to councils so they are able to deliver local solutions to national problems.
The LGA, in conjunction with Cabinet Office, deliver a Commissioning Academy for elected members which brings together senior commissioners from across the public sector to learn from the example of the most successful commissioning organisations, developing a cadre of professionals that are progressive in their outlook on how the public sector delivers outcomes to local communities.
What is the Commissioning Academy for Elected Members?
The LGA, working in partnership with the Cabinet Office Commissioning Academy programme, is pleased to offer this fully subsidised two-day training course for elected members. Aimed at leaders, portfolio holders and chairs of scrutiny, these sessions will help councillors explore ways to improve the commissioning activity of their councils through political leadership. More information
Nesta is an innovation charity with a mission to help people and organisations bring great ideas to life.
They are dedicated to supporting ideas that can help improve all our lives, with activities ranging from early stage investment to in-depth research and practical programmes.
Established in 1944 to demonstrate the value of industrial design in reviving post-war Britain, the Design Council is now an enterprising charity which works to improve people’s lives through the use of design.
Currently celebrating their 70th birthday, the Design Council’s mandate has evolved over the past seven decades and responded to changing social and economic trends and needs.
In 2011 the Design Council merged with Cabe, the government’s advisor on design in the built environment. “Together we are passionate about using design to improve people’s lives and we believe that design-led innovation can stimulate business growth, transform public services and enhance places and cities”
The Solace Group of companies contains a membership organisation, a commercial services arm and a charitable trust.
Solace (Society of Local Authority Chief Executives and Senior Managers) is the representative body for senior strategic managers working in the public sector. We are committed to public sector excellence. We provide our members with opportunities for personal and professional development and seek to influence the debate about the future of public services to ensure that policy and legislation reflect the experience and expertise of our members.
Work with the arts and cultural sector, commissioners and policy makers to strengthen commissioning of arts and culture, and deliver better outcomes for people and communities.
From July 2016 to December 2017, the Cultural Commissioning Programme will work with policy makers and stakeholders to embed support for cultural commissioning. They will also support existing models of practice on the ground to strengthen them and help secure recognition of opportunities that replicating these models can offer.
The Academy for Justice Commissioning identifies, supports and promotes excellence in public services commissioning. They are responsible for:
The Taskforce was set up to enable libraries in England to exploit their potential and be recognised as a vital resource for all.
A policy and research organisation, the BSA brings together all those who are interested in delivering efficient, flexible and cost-effective service and infrastructure projects across the private and public sectors.
The Business Services Association provides a forum for service providers to come together to discuss issues of common interest.
Catch22 was formed in 2008 from a merger between the Rainer Foundation and Crime Concern. Today Catch22 embodies many of the philosophies and beliefs of their founding organisations.
They believe in helping people in tough situations for the wider benefit of society and work to rehabilitate offenders by providing support before and after their release from prison, or with their community sentence. Their aim is to deliver social value by turning chaotic lives around.
LocalGov Digital is a network for digital practitioners in local government with an aim to raise standards in web provision and the use of digital by councils across the country, and to create a digital framework that is flexible enough to respond to local needs.
Their belief is that an overarching and fundamental principle is that local government is and should be ‘open by default and digital by design’.
They run Local Gov Camp, a free unconference for local government, by local government.
The public sector faces a wide range of challenges in order to continue to deliver improved public services. Innovative solutions, greater collaboration and learning from other organisations across the public and private sectors are vital to meet user demand and implement successful change.
The Public Sector Show is a large one-day event that brings together public sector stakeholders to network, learn and find the right solutions for their organisations.
A teaching company, focused on equipping politicians, board members, chief executives and senior managers in the public sector with the skills and knowledge to innovate and initiate successful shared service and collaborative transformation solutions.
SSA has developed a suite of high quality practitioner focused learning materials, which provide a qualifications pathway to the UK’s first Post Graduate Certificate in Public Sector Shared Services in partnership with Canterbury Christ Church University.
Provide practical tools and support to help adult social care organisations in England recruit, develop and lead their workforce,helping to create a better-led, skilled and valued adult social care workforce. They work with employers and related services to ensure dignity and respect are at the heart of service delivery.
As the home of the National Skills Academy for Social Care, they provide support from entry level through to those in senior leadership and management roles. They also provide individual tailored solutions to support your business to deliver high quality care.
St Basils works with young people aged 16-25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, helping over 4000 young people per year across the West Midlands region with specific services in Birmingham, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, Worcestershire, the Wyre Forest and Coventry.
They have a range of prevention, accommodation and support services to help young people regain the stability they need to rebuild their lives, gain skills, training and employment and move on. Their aim is to help them successfully break the cycle of homelessness so that they can go on to experience a bright, fulfilling future and never return to a state where they are at risk of homelessness again.
Osca has a three phase process for meeting today’s complex social challenges using thoughtful exploration and prototyping.
Part of the Cabinet Office, GDS is responsible for the digital transformation of government.
They are a centre of excellence in digital, technology and data, collaborating with departments to help them with their own transformation, working with them to build platforms, standards, and digital services.
The Government Outcomes Lab is a centre of academic research and practice based at the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. Their mission is to improve the provision of public services through research, policy advice and cross-sector collaboration. The GO Lab seeks to deepen the understanding of outcome based commissioning and provide independent support, data and evidence on what works and what does not.
The Local Area Research & Intelligence Association (LARIA) work to improve lives and local areas through the use of local research, intelligence and policy. They promote continuous improvements in the quality and impact of local research and intelligence. By promoting high standards and excellence in research, analysis and insight they aim to ensure maximum impact in the delivery of high quality public service.
Is a think tank and local authority membership organisation and registered charity. Their ethos is that local design and delivery is the most effective approach for “the everyday essentials that make life work – health, schools, homes, jobs, support, open spaces and the rest.”
An independent charity working to increase government effectiveness, the Institute for Local Goverment works with all the main political parties at Westminster and with senior civil servants in Whitehall.
They provide evidence based advice that draws on best practice from around the world and undertake research, provide high quality development opportunities for senior decision makers and organise events to invigorate and provide fresh thinking on the issues that really matter to government.
A leading academic centre for research and teaching on local governance and strategic public management, the Institute for Local Government studies explore complex issues, question conventional thought and address challenges in Public Management, Administration, Public Service Commissioning and Local Policy and Politics.
Their research bridges the gap between the academic and the practitioner and has a major influence on academic and policy audiences. They produce a range of publications from their research.
The Social Value Portal is on-line solution that allows organisations to measure and manage the contribution that their organisation and supply chain makes to society, according to the principles laid out within the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012. Our solution allows organisations to report both non-financial AND financial data and rewards organisations for doing “more good” in the community.
The Best Practice Social Value Task Force was founded in February 2016 in order to establish a good practice framework for the integration of the Public Services (Social Value Act) 2012 (‘Act’) into our public sector and business.
It is an open network and welcomes any organisation that wishes to get involved and who wants to help build our collective knowledge of how we can support our communities by working together through the effective implementation of the Act.
A member led network sharing a common goal: to change the way society accounts for value.
Apolitical is a free global network for public servants, where you can discover what’s working and connect with innovators from more than 90 countries. Members range from people on the front line of local government to ministers and former heads of state. Apolitical’s backers include the UK Government, the European Union, the government of New South Wales in Australia, and many more. The organisations it works with include the World Bank, GovLab and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Apolitical publishes engaging case studies, analysis, features and opinion about how governments around the world are trying to tackle society’s biggest problems. It also lets you speak to the people behind those projects, as well as hundreds of other experts. Its purpose is to help public servants in their work by providing them with cutting-edge information from around the world as well as access to the experts and pioneering peers in their field. You can ask Apolitical’s analysts for free advice on the problems you’re tackling; join webinars and policy Q&As; get briefings on the subjects you’re interested in; and join groups to stay up to date with events, jobs and coverage. The platform covers all areas of government, but has particular specialisms in policy connected with cities, inequality, gender equity, violence prevention and new technology.
Altogether Better has been working with a number of partners including the Department of Health to share learning about the community health champion model and increase the voice of patients and communities in shaping health and social care services.
Working in partnership with the NHS Confederation, Altogether Better aims to develop a network of community health champions across England, support localities to replicate the values and principles of the community health champion model, and respond positively to some of the important questions and challenges which need to be addressed by health leaders, decision-makers and commissioners.
Challenging, inspiring and supporting change in order to transform services through improved information sharing across the public sector. They work with a variety of local places, across a range of policy areas to help uncover and understand what is limiting good information sharing between them and their partners. Challenging culture is at the heart of their work and they recognise that you can have the best policies and databases in place, but without the right culture and mind-set, these will only take you so far.
They support local places in identifying the barriers to the flow of information within their partnerships. Their ultimate aspiration is for information sharing to move from being a simple shift in language to a total shift in the working practices of public service providers.
ESPO is a customer-focused, public sector owned professional buying organisation. They pursue the best practice in procurement, sourcing, supply chain partner support and management, contract management and EU compliance. Working in education, local government, with charities and the wider public sector, ESPO offer customers a complete procurement service including a product catalogue, a range of frameworks compliant with EU and UK procurement regulations and bespoke procurement support for organisations.
ESPO is jointly owned by its six member authorities: Leicestershire County Council, Lincolnshire County Council, Cambridgeshire County Council, Norfolk County Council, Warwickshire County Council, and Peterborough City Council.
A global community of innovators focused on radical public sector reform through practical action. Their focus is reforming government for the benefit of citizens, with a focus on making it fit for the internet age.
The community is made up of people who are passionate about public sector reform with the emphasis on improving service and how the public sector works. People from diverse perspectives outside government, the public sector and outside the UK are also invited to be part of the community.