English: The local government professions in the UK are undergoing unprecedented change. The impact of these changes on the world of individual professional practice is already well documented. This article examines the largely neglected national role of the local government professional associations. Confronted with a rapidly changing environment we found national associations experimenting with new approaches to the defence and advancement of their professional projects. In marked contrast to the traditional approach to professionalisation, we report on moves towards interdisciplinarity, pressure group-style advocacy and new strategic alliances.