Help and advice


The Local Government Association

The Local Government Association (LGA) is the national voice of local government, working with councils to support, promote and improve local government. The LGA works to influence and set the political agenda on the issues that matter to councils and provides a range of practical support to enable local authorities. As well as this toolkit and accompanying handbook on revitalising town centres, the LGA provides a wealth of advice on policy and practice across a breadth of issues affecting town and city centres.

Below are details of organisations that have been referenced in this resource and are considered useful sources of further expertise and information on the town centre agenda.

Association of Town and City Management

The Association of Town and City Management (ATCM) is the membership body that supports and represents the town and city management industry across the UK and Ireland.  It provides a forum of support, best practice and networking to support healthy high streets.  It helps exchange experiences and represent the views of its members who collectively develop and implement shared visions, strategies and action plans for hundreds of district, town and city centres.

ATCM Offers LGA members six months free membership

In order to ensure best practice can be shared ATCM is collaborating with the LGA to deliver free membership for six months to those councils who are not currently part of the ATCM network. This offer is limited to ATCM’s Knowledge Exchange which includes access to its Basecamp network and membership rates for events between the 1 June and the 30 November 2018.

The Institute of Place Management

The Institute of Place Management (IPM) is the international professional body that supports people committed to developing, managing and making places better. It works with policy makers, practitioners and providers to identify the core skills and competences involved in the effective management, development and marketing of places. 

The IPM is home to the BID Foundation; the new industry-led body for Business Improvement Districts. The BID Foundation is an alliance of leading BIDs and industry professionals created to elevate standards, provide a voice for BIDs and offer practical support to those within the industry.

Town Centres Research Interest Group

Loughborough University’s Town Centres Research Interest Group specialises in generating and disseminating empirical evidence that will help practitioners as well as and academics to understand the different drivers of current and future town centre behaviour.  Key current pieces of research include understanding the customer experience of town centres and the digital high street. 

The British Parking Association

The British Parking Association (BPA) is the ‘go to’ organisation for councils responsible for parking management.  The BPA is the largest and most established professional association representing parking and traffic management in Europe and the recognised authority within the parking profession. The BPA’s diverse membership includes local authorities, private parking providers, technology developers & suppliers, equipment manufacturers, learning providers, consultants, structural & refurbishment experts.

The People & Places Partnership

The People & Places Partnership are co-authors with the LGA of this on-line toolkit and accompanying handbook on revitalising town centres.  Through its recommended reads, People & Places will continue to provide an online library of reports and research relevant to the issues covered in this toolkit and will track highlighted national town centre trends.