New Project: Understanding Stakeholder Perceptions of the Local Government Association
We have been commissioned by the Local Government Association (LGA) to deliver the 2025/26 Stakeholder Perceptions Survey, a national study exploring how local government leaders, officers and councillors across England view the LGA, its work, and the value it provides.
The study comes at an important time as the LGA continues to support councils through complex policy and financial challenges. By gathering fresh evidence on stakeholder perceptions, the research will help the LGA understand what is working well, where improvements can be made, and how to strengthen engagement with members in the years ahead.
Listening to local government voices
The survey will engage around 900 stakeholders through a combination of online and telephone interviews. It will capture views on awareness, satisfaction, influence, value for money and communications effectiveness, building on more than a decade of trend data collected between 2012 and 2023.
Findings will provide the LGA with a robust evidence base to track progress, demonstrate value for money, and identify practical ways to enhance its offer to councils across England.
“This project is about listening to the people who shape and deliver local services day in and day out. It’s not often you get to hear directly from this group, so I’m excited. Their feedback is vital to understanding how the LGA’s support is perceived and how engagement might be even more effective. We’re proud to be delivering research that will help further strengthen how the LGA connects with, and supports, local authorities across the country.”
Robust design and actionable insight
The research will use a mixed-mode approach, combining online (CAWI) and telephone (CATI) fieldwork to ensure robust representation across stakeholder roles and regions.
“This survey is a cornerstone for understanding how the LGA’s work is perceived across the sector. It’s about more than just tracking satisfaction; it’s about pinpointing what drives strong relationships between the Association and local authorities.
Our role is to make sure the insight is rigorous and genuinely actionable. By combining deep analytical expertise with practical understanding of how councils operate, we’ll help the LGA focus on what matters most to its members. In a period where the structure of local government is changing, understanding how the LGA can best amplify the voice of its members feels vital.”
Through this project, we are proud to support the LGA’s commitment to evidence-led improvement, helping ensure that the voices of local government leaders and members continue to shape how local government is supported and represented.
Need support with your own social research?
Whether you’re a public body, charity, or organisation looking to understand your audience, evaluate impact, or inform future strategies, we’re here to help.
Get in touch with the M·E·L Research team today via our ‘Get in touch’ form below to see how our expert researchers can support your goals. Alternatively, you can email the team at info@melresearch.co.uk.
How do we demonstrate the true value of culture and heritage? And are we measuring everything that matters?
These were two of the questions that stood out during the third day of the Culture and Heritage Capital: Putting Theory into Practice conference.
Cultural organisations have long recognised that their impact extends beyond visitor numbers, ticket sales and tourism revenue. Museums, heritage sites and cultural programmes can support mental health and wellbeing, strengthen community connections, create opportunities for learning and preserve our shared…
M·E·L Research is pleased to be working with the British Film Institute (BFI) on a three-year evaluation of the BFI Film Academy programme. Since 2012, BFI Film Academy has supported young people to develop skills, confidence, knowledge and networks and explore routes into careers across the screen industries. The refreshed 2026–2029 programme builds on this experience, creating connected pathways from early engagement through to specialist training, mentoring, placements and industry-facing progression, with a strong emphasis on…
M·E·L Research is pleased to welcome four new colleagues to our growing team, strengthening our research and evaluation expertise as we continue to expand our services and support clients.
The appointments of Laura Karban, Associate Director; Bethan Jewsbury, Senior Evaluation Managers; and Chloe Parker, Research Manager, alongside Rhoslyn Davies, who joins us on a short-term basis to provide additional senior evaluation support, bring a wealth of experience across social research, evaluation, public policy…
It was an absolute honour to attend the Women’s Health Conference in London this week, bringing together clinicians, policymakers, campaigners and others passionate about improving women’s health.
As a researcher specialising in women’s health social research, I was excited to have the opportunity to learn, be challenged and exchange ideas with people who share that passion. And I wasn’t disappointed.
There has (quite rightly) been a lot of discussion recently about the gender health gap. But some of the evidence shared…
We are pleased to be working with the MS Society on new health and care social research exploring how health and care services can better support people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and help reduce avoidable hospital admissions.
The health and care social research study will focus on opportunities for earlier intervention and more coordinated, preventative support, while recognising that hospital admission is sometimes clinically necessary. It will…
Last week, I had the opportunity to speak at Collections Inside & Out, a symposium hosted at National Trust Chirk Castle & Garden, bringing together people working across gardens, horticulture, heritage, collections and interpretation.
I was, perhaps, a slight interloper among so many people with deep horticultural expertise but every presentation was incredibly interesting and I learned a lot – and broadly managed to follow the general flow of what was being said (still not 100% au fait with taxa…
We’re pleased to share that our Commercial Director, Elliot Simmonds, will be speaking at the Collections Inside & Out symposium at National Trust Chirk Castle & Garden on 24 September 2026. Bringing together professionals working across heritage collections, gardens and landscapes, the symposium will explore the relationship between indoor and outdoor heritage and the opportunities created by thinking about them as part of a connected visitor experience.
Elliot’s session, “Integrating Indoor…
M·E·L Research has been named the winner of the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Social Value & Ethical Research 2026 at the UK Enterprise Awards.
The award recognises the values that shape both the work we choose to undertake and the way we deliver it. From building trauma-informed practices into our research to improving inclusion and reinvesting in the communities around us, social responsibility is part of how we operate every day.
