The Association of Local Government Archaeological Officers, or ALGAO, functions as a body to represent archaeologists working for local authorities and national parks in the United Kingdom.
[1] It exists to provide a voice for local authority in delivering local, regional and national government policy; to ensure local government participation in policy for culture and education; to contribute to improving the sustainable management of the historic environment and promote development of high standards in the historic environment profession.
[2] The Association has also published guidance for local authority involvement in heritage preservation[3] and policy.
[4] English Heritage plays a significant role in much of the work of the Association's members,[5] who together represent some 74% of British archaeologists.
[6] The Association has triggered controversy with its 'decolonisation' agenda, suggesting that the castles built by English king Edward I (who defeated Llywelyn ap Gryffydd, the last Welsh Prince of Wales and brought Wales under the English monarchy) should be seen as “symbols of oppression and alienation.”[7] It had previously called for the removal of a statue of Welsh-American explorer Sir Henry Morton Stanley (who coined the phrase “Dr Livingstone, I presume?”) writing “People who have been subjected to racial prejudice or racist attacks may find it traumatic to see figures who had known connections to racist policies or actions, celebrated prominently.”[8] The campaign to remove the statue of Stanley was ultimately unsuccessful.