The Local Government Association (LGA) is the national voice of local government. We work with councils to support, promote and improve local government.
The LGA is a politically led, cross-party organisation that works on behalf of councils to ensure local government has a strong, credible voice with national government. We aim to influence and set the political agenda on the issues that matter to councils, so they can deliver local solutions to national problems.
Councils have long recognised the importance that procurement and commissioning can play in delivering efficiencies, value for money and contributing to transforming service delivery and the potential impact on local, regional and national businesses and jobs.
Local authorities spend around £91.8 billion annually on procuring services. An estimated £17 billion was spent on services relating to children in the financial year 2023/24. This includes Special Educational Needs, Mental Health, Disabilities, Health and Social Care, Special Schools and Children’s Residential Care and Fostering and Adoption.
Children’s services accounted for almost half of councils overspends for 2023-24 with English councils facing a £2.3 billion funding gap in 2025/26, rising to £3.9 billion in 2026/27.
The Group membership is made up of local government procurement professionals and commissioners in children’s services, with at least one representative per English region.
The LGA supports the Group by enabling councils to collaborate and share best practice to deliver more effective services with limited resources.
- The Group will work with each other as one cohesive voice to:
- Achieve better outcomes for children and young people
- Influence, shape and lead national children’s procurement policy, so this works for councils and their local partners.
- Identify and share good practice to maximise the benefits of good procurement, as well as communicate and support local government colleagues to adopt identified good practice.
Learn about and engage with new and innovative ways of working.
- Be proactive rather than reactive.
- Engage and work with providers to develop the children’s services marketplace
The LGA will convene, Chair and provide administrative support for all meetings, including circulating all meeting papers/presentations one week in advance of the meeting and produce the meetings notes.
The LGA engages with a wide range of organisations and may from time to time invite speakers from organisation such as the Department of Education, Association of Directors of Children’s Services, Nationwide Association of Fostering Providers and others to attend and present to the Group.
Through the LGA, the Group will report regularly to the National Advisory Group who report to the Improvement Committee of the LGA.
Online meetings will take place quarterly. The Group will have access and use of the Knowledge Hub in between.
Communications, including meeting notes and actions will be circulated after each meeting by email and available on the Knowledge Hub.
The Knowledge Hub, a closed group will also be used to share any relevant information as well as storage for documents and discussions.
The Group is a safe space for the sharing of information, good practice and problem solving. It is an environment where open discussion is supported and encouraged.
The LGA will hold your contact information for use only in relation to the activities of this Group in accordance with the LGA’s Privacy Notice .
The terms of reference will be due for review on an annual basis.