It was formed in 1905 as the National Association of Local Government Officers, and changed its full name in 1952 while retaining its widely used acronym, NALGO.

In 1909, the first full-time General Secretary, Levi Hill (1883–1961), was appointed, and by 1914 NALGO's membership included almost 70% of all British local government officers.

Blain and Hill organised NALGO with a national delegate conference and regional and local branch structures.

After a prolonged process of negotiations, NALGO and the employers agreed a national charter of pay scales in local government in 1946.

NALGO provided a wide range of benefits for its members and opened one of the first holiday camps in Britain, at Croyde Bay in north Devon.

This was sold in 1976 but the Croyde Bay holiday centre is still owned and run by NALGO's successor, UNISON.