What is sector-led improvement?

Sector-led improvement (SLI) is the approach to put improvements in place by local authorities and the LGA alongside the abolition of the previous national performance framework.


SLI is based on the underlying principles that local authorities are:

  • responsible for their own performance 
  • accountable locally, not nationally 
  • there is a sense of collective responsibility for the performance of the sector as a whole, and 
  • the role of the LGA is to provide tools and support. 

Through a coordinated approach to sector-led improvement across local government, the LGA support helps local authorities continue their own improvement journey, access key resources and support and contribute to the improvement of local government as a whole.

In 2019, Shared Intelligence (Si) was commissioned by the LGA to perform an independent evaluation of sector led improvement. The evaluation, which concluded in 2020, found strong support for the approach within the local government sector.

Our current approach to SLI has been running since February 2011, the background to which was summarised in our publication Taking the lead, which took forward our previous Freedom to Lead work with the sector.