‘Local policy makers for the most part act as if their localities were self contained. They perceive their environment as bounded though not of course as impermeable. It is for them a field of vision, expectation and action.’ (Young and Kramer, 1978). The ‘assumptive worlds’ of local government strategic actors have been noted and recognised but rarely studied. Young has argued that the roots of these tactics to manage the interorganisational environment and the complementary local policy nexus are located in the local policy makers’ understanding of their local worlds and multiple realities (Young, 1977). This paper is an attempt to investigate particular aspects of the ‘assumptive worlds’ of Treasurers and their organisational relationships with politicians and Chief Officers. Empirical data taken from relatively unstructured interviews with Treasurers in a variety of local authorities will be selectively used to illustrate the multi faceted realities of such officers and the relationship this has to the emerging policy process. The language or languages of Treasurers are both pragmatic and symbolic — both levels will be noted. Dunleavy is one of the very few political scientists to comment on the socialisation and role politics of Treasurers.