About Us
The Independent Group
There are approximately 2,000 Independent Group Councillors across England and Wales.
The term 'Independent' covers all councillors who are not members of the three largest political parties. Independent Group councillors receive support through the Local Government Association Group and have a dedicated office at the LGA headquarters in Smith Square.
The Independent Group Office seeks to ensure that the voices of Independent and smaller party councillors are taken into account on all issues to do with local government, nationally and across the work of the LGA Group.
The political groups lie at the heart of everything the LGA group does. Four group offices - Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrat and Independent - act as the first port of call for most councillors dealing with the Association, as well as acting as the main link in with political party organisations across England and Wales.
The political groups are tasked with:
- Helping to formulate and sustain LGA Group priorities, campaigns, policy, media and public affairs activities.
- Maintaining a watching brief over the performance of councils and helping to co-ordinate support when necessary.
- Influencing, liasing and networking with government, shadow teams and party administrations.
- Representing and diseminating the views of political groups into the LGA Group.
- Maintaing constructive relationships with respective controlling and opposition groups.
- Providing help, support, training and advice to leading, board and panel members.
- Populating boards and panels and ensuring that they are dealt with proportionately.
- Organising group elections and populating boards and panels to ensure that they are dealt with proportionately.
- Overseeing LGA appointments to outside bodies.
Support offered through the Independent Group Office
The group office provides support to the Group Executive, group representatives on LGA Group Boards, Panels and Committees. It offers support to its wider membership through regional meetings and annual conferences.
The group office cannot provide legal advice to members. We seek to answer as many of our members’ queries as possible within the resources available. The political conventions at the LGA mean that we cannot fund or directly support election campaigns but we can offer general advice to prospective Independent councillors.