This section of our website tells you about who we are and how we have structured and organised ourselves as a group of 32 member councils to represent our shared interests in working with a wide range of contacts in supporting local economic development, and to work together to learn from each other to improve delivery of our services.

We are a non-political, professional organisation that focuses on excellence in delivery of local economic development services by local authorities across Scotland.

We have wide-ranging interests, all directed towards supporting economic development through investment and employment in our local areas. We link up to share our member councils’ interests and develop ideas on different aspects of local services, such as business support, skills and employability, external funding, town centre regeneration and tourism development.

Membership of SLAED is on a corporate basis and is open to all Scottish local authorities. Member councils pay an annual membership fee. Operations are structured around a number of groups comprising an Executive, three strategic groups and a series of thematic groups, with an overarching general membership group comprising all member councils.

This structure enables SLAED to debate topical issues and adopt positions on behalf of our membership on a range of matters relating to the delivery of local economic development services, to respond to any issues as they arise and to appoint spokespersons to represent our members’ interests.

See the SLAED Constitution for more details on our terms of operation.