A Beacon Council is a local authority in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 which has been recognised for its excellence and innovation. The scheme attempts to disesminate best practice in local government. Beacon Councils are given greater autonomy from central government

Central government

A central government also known as a national government, union government and in federal states, the federal government, is the government at the level of the nation-state. The structure of central governments varies from institution to institution...

. The word beaconicity, describing the attributes of a Beacon Council, was among the 200 terms condemned by the Local Government Association

Local Government Association

The Local Government Association is a voluntary lobbying organisation acting as the voice of the local government sector in England and Wales, which seeks to be an authoritative and effective advocate on its behalf....

in 2009.