Results are in for Liberal Democrat positions on the Local Government Association bodies for 2009-2011.

All (principle) councillors in England were polled with the highest turnout ever recorded.

Leader: Richard Kemp, Liverpool Deputy Leader, Gerald Vernon-Jackson, Portsmouth Group Whip, John Commons, Manchester Group Chair, Jill Shortland, Somerset

Group Executive Carl Minns, Hull; Howard Sykes, Oldham; Liz Green, Kingston; Stan Collins, Cumbria & S Lakeland Urban Commission Lead Abigail Bell, Hull - Lead; Greg Stone, Newcastle - Deputy Lead Rural Commission Lead Stan Collins, Cumbria & S Lakeland - Lead; Alison Clish-Green, West Devon - Deputy Lead Culture, Tourism & Sport Board Chris White, Herts & St Albans - Lead; Flick Rea, Camden; John Commons, Manchester; Gary Millar, Liverpool - Substitute Community Well-being Board David Rogers, East Sussex & Lewes - Lead; Doreen Huddart, Newcastle; Zoe Patrick, Oxon & Vale of W. Horse; Denise Hawksworth, Chesterfield - Substitute Environment Board Dorothy Thornhill, Watford - Lead; Paula Baker, Basingstoke & Deane; Berni Turner - Liverpool; Roger Symonds - BANES - Substitute Improvement Board Jill Shortland, Somerset - Lead; David Williams, Richmond; John Commons, Manchester - Substitute Children and Young People David Bellotti, BANES - Lead; Gloria Cawood, Somerset & Mendip; Martin Candler, Stockport; Rabi Martins, Watford - Substitute Regeneration & Transport Board Richard Knowles, Oldham - Lead; Heather Kidd, Shropshire; Zulfiqar Ali, Rochdale, Isobel McCall - Milton Keynes - Substitute Safer Communities Board Duwayne Brooks, Lewisham - Lead; Daisy Benson, Reading; Anita Lower, Newcastle; Paul Porgess, Stockport - Substitute Scrutiny Panel Trevor Jones, Dorset & West Dorset - Lead Resources Panel Sarita Bush, Hull - Lead Human Resources Panel Steve Comer, Bristol - Lead; Stephen Knight, Richmond Fire Forum Lead Paul Shannon, Manchester - Lead

The Liberal Democrat Group of the Local Government Assocation (LGA) are currently looking for nominations for Liberal Democrat vacancies to the following central bodies of the "Local Government family". These are:

Chair                  4ps
Board member    IDeA
Board member    Leadership Centre for Local Government
Board member    LACORS

These 4 positions are appointed and an appointments panel will be established by the Lib Dem Group Executive as soon as the Group elections have been finalised. The closing date for applying for the positions is 12th August so that they can try to have the people firmly in place for 1st September. The positions are open to any Liberal Democrat Councillor whose council is in LGA membership with the exception of those who hold a position within the LGA of Leader, Deputy Leader or a lead Lib Dem member on a Board or Panel. 

Application should be by way of curriculum vitae (no longer than 2 sides of A4) and a covering letter 
(no longer than 2 sides of A4) emailed to libdem.temp@lga.gov.uk no later than 12^th August.

Bournemouth is the venue for this year's Liberal Democrat Federal Party Conference (19-23 September 2009). (Book online here.)

For local campaigners and councillors this is a hugely important conference. It is the last time we will all be together for such a big event before the London and English "thirds" local elections on 6 May 2010, and, of course, the General Election. 

Come a Day Early!

Although conference "proper" doesn't start until later on Saturday, our training programme kicks off first thing Saturday making it well worth coming to Bournemouth on Friday evening or very first thing Saturday if you can.

We have a full day of Campaign Planning Workshops (four separate half day sessions) all about WINNING in 2010. There are separate workshops for groups who have local elections but no target parliamentary seats, and for groups who have local elections AND target parliamentary seats.

Campaign Essentials

All of us had to start somewhere, and there is a danger with training that we forget the basics of how we win. From Sunday - Tuesday at Bournemouth we're running a series of Campaign Essentials training aimed not just at newcomers, but also people who want to refresh their knowledge. 

Super-Skilled Councillors

Finally we have a packed training programme from Sunday - Tuesday aimed at Lib Dem Councillors. Sessions range from climate change, health scrutiny, using the internet, helping citizens through the recession, recruiting council candidates and much more. 

All in all that's almost 50 hours of ALDC training, all FREE, all for Lib Dem local campaigners and local councillors. 

More information nearer the time, in our Conference Directory.  

A memorial service to mark the life of former Stockport and Leeds Councillor Maggie Clay will take place: 

Monday 29 June 2009, 12.00noon
Stockport Town Hall

People who wish to attend should let Alison Morrissey at Stockport Town Hall know, so that there is an idea of numbers. 

Maggie's family have nominated the Stockport Mayor’s Charity and Send a Cow for any friends and colleagues who would wish to make a donation in Maggie’s memory. Arrangements have been made for this to be administered by Alison Morrissey in the Stockport Chief Executive’s office. If you wish to make a donation by cheque please make the cheque payable to the ‘Maggie Clay Memorial Fund’’

Maggie served over time as Organising and Political Secretary of ALDC's predecessor organisation, the Association of Liberal Councillors and will by much missed by Liberal and Lib Dem campaigners and councillors up and down the country. 

Thank you to everyone who attended the Liberal Democrat Local Government Conference in Sheffield this weekend.  The event proved a great success with a full programme of speeches, training sessions, policy discussions and briefings, as well as stalls from many of the key local government organisations, party bodies and outside organisations such as Midas Training and Northern Rail.

The highlights for many seemed to be the speeches from Cllr Paul Scriven, on the success we are having on Sheffield City Council and a session on environmental good practice from Cllr Keith Moffitt, the Lib Dem Leader of Camden Council.

If you missed the conference, or want a recap on what happened, then Liberal Democrat Voice are posting podcasts of the plenary sessions on their website.  The first one - voxpops from people attending - is already available.  Later today you will be able to listen to the opening plenary with Nick Clegg and Ros Scott.

If you were in Sheffield this weekend and want to pass on any feedback both positive and on how we could have made the event better, then please email Emma Hall at emma.hall@aldc.org.