The introduction of a local income tax, an end to capping and a return to local control of business rates are just some of the recommendations made in a report out this week from the Communities and Local Government Select Committee. 

The committee chaired by Labour MP Phyllis Starkey - which includes Liberal Democrats John Pugh and Andrew George as members - also calls for stronger powers for local councils on health and policing.

The key recommendations are:

• ministers should set a higher threshold before intervention
• Department of Health and Home Office should work with CLG to establish a local authority commissioning model for local policing, health and healthcare.
• supplementary local income tax should be introduced alongside council tax with a corresponding reduction in central taxation, business rates should return to local authority control, and capping should be scrapped.
• the Government should prove its localist credentials by introducing constitutional legislation, placing the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government on a statutory footing.

The recommendations have already been rejected by Local Government Minister John Healey MP who said that "the government has already given councils more financial freedom to meet local needs and priorities... it is right that the Government continues to protect council taxpayers from excessive increases."

To find out more, you can read the full report or the articles on it from The MJ and the BBC.

The IDeA online conference "Councillors connected: the social media online conference" is happening today, and until Wednesday this week (6-8 April).

Anyone can join the online conference - go to www.communities.idea.gov.uk to register. (You will first need to be logged to their website to view the links below.)

They have a great line up of speakers this morning, but this conference is really all about you - we’ve already had some great responses. Feel free to ask questions or start your own topics on social media and local government. Maybe start by introducing yourself to the conference and share a little about how you use social media at work and personally. You can use our conference programme to find your way around the growing list of resources, including a hints and tips for getting the most out of the conference.

Opening address: Hazel Blears, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government shares a video message on using social media and supporting local democracy. She’s very positive about the impact of social media on the relationship between local government and local people, but are there some ominous undertones about mandating the use of social media by local government?

James Cousins (LB Wandsworth, Conservative) has a video address on how social media can help humanise the communication between councillors and their constituents. I live in Wandsworth and I’ve been watching (and sometimes engaging) in his really helpful interactions with local people via Twitter.

Richard Kemp (Liverpool, Liberal Democrat) Deputy Chair of the LGA, talks about taking his first steps in social media tool Twitter. More and more councillors are using Twitter; how can it help councillors in their work? Richard will be live in the conference between 11 and 12 today (working computer permitting - a drawback of all this technology is sometimes it lets you down - he’s phoned to say his connection’s down, but he’ll be online as soon as he can)

Tim Pickstone (Bury MBC, Liberal Democrat) provides an excellent piece on how blogging has helped him in campaigning, communication and accountability and provides links to other councillor blogs.

and

Louise Brown from the National Council of Voluntary Organisations talks about how social media provides opportunities for councils and the voluntary sector to work together. She’ll be available from 3 to 5pm today for live discussion.

If you’re a Twitter user please use #cllrsconnnected or on Delicious cllrsconnected to bring outside content into the conference space. If you don’t know what that means, then this conference is a great opportunity to find out.
 

The IDeA is running a free online conference early next month on how councillors use social media.

The conference is completely free of charge and we are keen that as many councillors and people connected to local government as possible share their experiences.

The conference will be held on the IDeA's community of practice platform and details can be found both on our website and on our facebook event page.

The LGA Liberal Democrat Group "Lib Dem Council Group of the Year" awards were announced at Harrogate on 6 March 2009.

The winners were:

Backbencher of the Year
Councillor John Marshall – councillor on North Yorkshire County Council for over 30 years service.

London Councils Award for Innovation in Candidate Recruitment
Liberal Democrat Group in Lewisham.
Highly commended – Lib Dem Group on Lambeth Council.

Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour
Liberal Democrat Group on Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council.

Helping Children and Young People
Sheffield City Council Liberal Democrat Group

Improving Social Care Services
London Borough of Sutton

Supporting Culture, Leisure and Regeneration
Liberal Democrat Group on the London Borough of Islington.

Green Council Group of the Year
Liberal Democrat Group on Liverpool City Council
HIghly commended: Liberal Democrat Group on Cardiff City Council 

Council Group of the Year
Liberal Democrat Group on Newcastle City Council
Highly commended:  Liberal Democrat Group on Waltham Forest. and Liberal Democrat Group on Cambridgeshire County Council 

Just a final reminder about the FREE workshops that are taking place over the coming weeks as part of the Liberal Democrat "Be a Councillor" programme. 

The events are free to any LIberal Democrat, and taking place in a town or civic hall near you!*

The Be a Councillor programme is about finding and recruiting good, representative and diverse people to be local council candidates. The sessions look at who we could be asking to be council candidates for the future and how to ask them. People who've been to earlier sessions have come away with some brilliant ideas to take home. 

Please let us know you're coming by registering here  - but remember the event is FREE!

* Please note this is an England only programme at present, we will discuss this further with colleagues in Scotland and Wales as most, if not all, of the issues are common to all of us.