Nominations are now sought for the 2010 ALDC Campaigner Awards. These awards celebrate Liberal Democrat campaigning achievements – it’s the second year the awards have been organised by ALDC.

The awards are sponsored by Midshires and RISO, which enable us to award cash prizes to local Liberal Democrat parties.
This year nominations are sought for:

-    1st Prize (Overall winner)  £500

FIVE Runners Up Prizes (£100 each)
 
 - Best FOCUS Leaflet

 - Best literature by a volunteer campaigner

 - Best ward campaign

 - Best direct mail

 - Best membership literature
 
Please send in your nominations to: awards@aldc.org (PagePlus11 and PDF files) or by post to Mark Alcock, ALDC, The Birchcliffe Centre, Hebden Bridge, HX7 8DG.

The deadline for nominations is Monday 6th September 2010.

Please send us everything you think worthwhile – any campaigning from 1 October 2009 can be included.
 

The 2010 Liberal Democrat Group Leaders Day takes place on Friday 18 June 2010 - at LGA House in Westminster, London. This is the day immediately preceeding the Lib Dem Local Government Conference on Saturday. 

Provisional Programme

10.30am            Arrival with registration and coffee

11.15am            ALDC Group Leaders’ – Welcome and Introductions

11.30am            Leading Success – Challenges for the Lib Dem Group Leader Speakers and Discussion

12.30-1.30pm            Lunch for Group Leaders’ and Council Leaders’

1.30pm             Joint welcome to both Group Leaders’ and Council Leaders’

                        Richard Kemp, Leader, LGA Liberal Democrat Group

                        Tim Pickstone, Chief Executive, ALDC

1.45pm             THE FINANCIAL CHALLENGE

Group Leaders’ and Council Leaders’

Irene Lucas, Acting Permanent Secretary, Communities and Local Government

Steve Freer, Chief Executive, Cipfa

Andrew Stunell MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Communities and Local Government (tbc)

3.00pm             Afternoon break

3.15pm             ALDC workshops for Group Leaders’ only – please choose 1

A – Managing your Group

B – Effective Opposition

C – Planning and Leading Electoral Success

D – Developing the Group – candidates, development and succession planning

4.45pm             Joint round-up of the day - Group Leaders’ and Council Leaders’

5.15pm             Finish and close

The Liberal Democrat Local Government DINNER is at 8.00pm – drinks from 7:00 pm  

The Municipal Journal is reporting that councils are being told to stop work on Comprehensive Area Assessments (CAA) with immediate effect.

The policy is contained within the coalition agreement between the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, but legislation is required to remove the requirement to complete CAAs.  However, in the meantime auditors are advising councils that all meetings on CAAs have been stopped and that councils can drop their own work on them.

A formal announcement is expected tomorrow, but more details are available here.

The Local Government Association has given its response to the proposal by the Conservative/Liberal Democrat government to save £6.2billion.  This response, (this is the LGA response, not necessarily the Liberal Democrat response), is as follows: