18 March 2009
Source: LocalGov.co.uk ()

Full list of the LGA's banned words


Across-the-piece – everyone working together

Actioned – do
   
Advocate - support
   
Agencies - groups
   
Ambassador - leader
   
Area based – in an area
   
Area focused – concentrating on the area
   
Autonomous - independent
   
Baseline – starting point
   
Beacon – leading light
   
Benchmarking - measuring
   
Best Practice – best way
   
Blue sky thinking – thinking up ideas
   
Bottom-Up – listening to people
   
CAAs - why use at all?
   
Can do culture - get the job done
   
Capabilities -
   
Capacity - ability
   
Capacity building - enough room in the system
   
Cascading - why use at all?
   
Cautiously welcome – devil in the detail
   
Challenge - problem
   
Champion – best
   
Citizen empowerment ­– people power
   
Client - person
   
Cohesive communities – why use at all?
   
Cohesiveness - together
   
Collaboration – working together
   
Commissioning - buy
   
Community engagement – getting people involved
   
Compact - why use at all?
   
Conditionality ­­- why use at all?
   
Consensual - everyone agrees
   
Contestability - Why use at all?
   
Contextual - background
   
Core developments – main things that are happening
   
Core Message ­– main point
   
Core principles - beliefs
   
Core Value – belief
   
Coterminosity – all singing from the same hymn sheet
   
Coterminous – all singing from the same hymn sheet
   
Cross-cutting – everyone working together
   
Cross-fertilisation – spreading ideas
   
Customer – people/person
   
Democratic legitimacy – voted in
   
Democratic mandate – elected to put people first
   
Dialogue – talk/discuss
   
Direction of travel – way forward
   
Distorts spending priorities – ignores people’s needs
   
Double devolution - Why use at all?
   
Downstream - Why use at all?
   
Early Win – success
   
Edge-fit - Why use at all?
   
Embedded – set in
   
Empowerment – people power
   
Enabler - helps
   
Engagement – working with people
   
Engaging users ­– getting people involved
   
Enhance – improve
   
Evidence Base – research shows
   
Exemplar – example
   
External challenge – outside pressures
   
Facilitate – help
   
Fast-Track – speed up
   
Flex - Why use at all?
   
Flexibilities and Freedoms - more power to do the right thing
   
Framework – guide
   
Fulcrum – pivot
   
Functionality - use
   
Funding Streams - money
   
Gateway review - Why use at all?
   
Going forward – in the future
   
Good Practice – best way
   
Governance - Why use at all?
   
Guidelines – guide
   
Holistic – taken in the round
   
Holistic governance - Why use at all?
   
Horizon scanning - Why use at all?
   
Improvement levers – using the tools to get the job done
   
Incentivising – incentive
   
Income Streams – money/cash
   
Indicators - measurements
   
Initiative – idea
   
Innovative capacity - Why use at all?
   
Inspectorates – monitoring bodies
   
Interdepartmental – working together
   
Interface – talking to each other
   
Iteration - version
   
Joined up – working together
   
Joint working – working together
   
LAAs - Why use at all?
   
Level playing field – everyone equal
   
Lever - Why use at all?
   
Leverage - influence
   
Localities ­– places/town/city/village
   
Lowlights – worst bits
   
MAAs - Why use at all?
   
Mainstreaming - Why use at all?
   
Management capacity - Why use at all?
   
Meaningful consultation– talking to people
   
Meaningful dialogue – talking to people
   
Mechanisms - methods
   
Menu of Options – choices
   
Multi-agency ­– many groups
   
Multidisciplinary – many
   
Municipalities – towns/cities/areas
   
Network model - Why use at all?
   
Normalising – make normal
   
Outcomes – results
   
Outcomes - focused
   
Output - results
   
Outsourced - privatised
   
Overarching - Why use at all?
   
Paradigm - Why use at all?
   
Parameter - limits
   
Participatory – joining in
   
Partnership working – working together
   
Partnerships – working together
   
Pathfinder – Why use at all?
   
Peer challenge - Why use at all?
   
Performance Network - Why use at all?
   
Place shaping – creating places where people can thrive
   
Pooled budgets - money
   
Pooled resources – time and money
   
Pooled risk - Why use at all?
   
Populace - people
   
Potentialities - chances
   
Practitioners - experts
   
Predictors of Beaconicity – Why use at all?
   
Preventative services – protecting the most vulnerable
   
Prioritization – most important
   
Priority – most important
   
Proactive - Why use at all?
   
Process driven – shouldn’t everything be people driven?
   
Procure - buy
   
Procurement - buying
   
Promulgate - spread
   
Proportionality - in proportion
   
Protocol - guidance
   
Provider vehicles - Why use at all?
   
Quantum - Why use at all?
   
Quick Hit – success
   
Quick Win – success
   
Rationalisation - cut
   
Rebaselining - Why use at all?
   
Reconfigured - reform
   
Resource allocation – money going to the right place
   
Revenue Streams - money
   
Risk based – safest way
   
Robust - tough
   
Scaled-back – cut/reduce
   
Scoping – work out
   
Sector wise - Why use at all?
   
Seedbed – idea
   
Self-aggrandizement - Why use at all?
   
Service users – people
   
Shared priority ­– all working together
   
Shell developments - Why use at all?
   
Signpost – point in the direction of
   
Single conversations – talking to
   
Single Point of Contact – everything under one roof
   
Situational - situation
   
Slippage – delay
   
Social contracts ­ - deal
   
Social exclusion – poverty
   
Spatial - Why use at all?
   
Stakeholder – other organisations
   
Step Change – improve
   
Strategic - planned
   
Strategic priorities - planned
   
Streamlined – efficient
   
Sub-regional – work between councils
   
Subsidiarity – Why use at all?
   
Sustainable – long term
   
Sustainable communities – environmentally friendly
   
Symposium ­­– meeting
   
Synergies – what use at all?
   
Systematics - Why use at all?
   
Taxonomy - Why use at all?
   
Tested for Soundness ­– what works
   
Thematic - theme
   
Thinking outside of the box - Why use at all?
   
Third sector – charities and voluntary organisations
   
Toolkit - guidance
   
Top-Down – ignores people
   
Trajectory - route
   
Tranche - slice
   
Transactional - Why use at all?
   
Transformational – change
   
Transparency - clear
   
Upstream - Why use at all?
   
Upward trend – getting better
   
Utilise - use
   
Value-added – extra
   
Vision ­– ideal/dream/belief
   
Visionary – ideal/dream/belief
   
Welcome – necessary and needed/step in the right direction
   
Wellbeing - healthy
   
Worklessness - unemployed



Your comments

I cannot believe my eyes. Jargon can be counterproductive, but many of these words and terms are functional and frankly they are terms that once picks up throughout their education and career, much like one picks up a new job. Of course we should take care to use them properly. I think this will lead to further dumbing down, and frankly, I'm finding this extremely hard to comprehend!

Joana Abreu Jackson, Intern, South West UK Brussels Office, Added: Friday, 10 April 2009 09:54 AM

Shouldn't the list include "Stressed out" instead of "busy"

Barry Brown, Policy , Added: Thursday, 26 March 2009 05:04 PM

I agree that jargon should be avoided, however the use of the correct word in the correct context is completely acceptable and if someone does not understand the meaning of that word, then they should look it up in a dictionary. I object to the dumbing down of the english language and feel that we should be striving to raise our standards, not lowering them.

Ann Banks, Building Control Technician, Stratford-upon-Avon District Council, Added: Thursday, 26 March 2009 11:29 AM

I agree that jargon should be avoided, but some of the proposed alternatives are less clear or simply wrong. Does an upward trend in crime statistics really mean that things are getting better?

Eamonn Collins, Thames-Gateway.tv, Added: Friday, 20 March 2009 11:47 AM

I don't want to be picky, but "well-being" is a noun, "healthy" is an adjective. And "upward trend" means "getting better"? That's interesting in relation to crime figures! "Theme" is a noun, "thematic" is an adjective etc. Do they really want is talking about 'singing from the same hymnsheet" (and might that not offend athiests anyway?) Please promote plain English, but not in such a sloppy, headline-grabbing way. It does more harm than good.

Bren McGowan,,, Added: Thursday, 19 March 2009 10:30 PM

All words have a use in the right context. Banning those that are used in the wrong context is correct (good english in fact) but banning the use of selected words in every context is just as wrong. The problem is not the words but people who don't understand meaning and context. I guess that those who endlessly used these words when they came into fashion will be no wiser when they drop out and as a result the new 'acceptable' words will become just as meaningless.

Ian Jenkinson, Editor, Municipal Engineer, Added: Thursday, 19 March 2009 08:47 PM

My greatest regret is that EFFICIENCY REVIEW is not included in this list! Why should we pretend that making people redundant and cutting services just to meet blanket spending cuts set by central government is in any way more efficient?

Cllr Alex Perkins Canterbury City Council, Added: Thursday, 19 March 2009 01:50 PM

This is the sort of list that should only be published on 1st April!

Nicola Hill, HR Manager, , Added: Thursday, 19 March 2009 11:19 AM

As a public sector plain English trainer, I couldn't agree more and add avoiding tautology as well as unexplained acronyms for clearer communication. Get a free copy of my local government Plain English guide and dictionary, with four pages of public sector acronyms explained,and ten pages of 'posh' words made plainer by e-mailing julia.buckland@btinternet.com or call 01332 370144.

Julia Buckland Plain English Doctor Service, Derby, Added: Thursday, 19 March 2009 10:51 AM

Social exclusion is about far more than poverty - it encompasses all areas and all six strands of equality and diversity - if you are unable to use English as a first language you are socially excluded but not necessarily poor!

Ann Catchpole, Policy Officer, Stratford-on-Avon DC, Added: Wednesday, 18 March 2009 12:40 PM

A worthy cause but some of the suggested "improvements" are less clear than the originals - for instance we all know what is meant by transparency in government and clear will not do as a substitute.

Mark Forester, consultant. Powys, Added: Wednesday, 18 March 2009 12:13 PM

Whoever compiled this list has a limited vocabulary of the English language. Many of the words have different meanings depending upon the context (whoops! almost used one then!)in which they are used. Also many of the plain language alternatives are not appropriate e.g. Advocate might also mean propose rather than support, although in this instance I agree that the relevant plain language alternative should be used. Another example is Stakeholder where Participator or Contributor is better

Alan Arnold, Director and Honorary Solicitor to Dorset Chamber of Commerce , Added: Wednesday, 18 March 2009 11:08 AM

I think if you use the word "seedbed" instead of "idea", you should be shot.

L. Richie - Neasden Conkers Association, Added: Wednesday, 18 March 2009 10:48 AM



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