Recommended reading for Liberal Democrat councillors and local campaigners from the last seven days:
In national news that affects local government:
PFI schemes have come under further criticism following a report from the Treasury Select Committee.
The BBC have a discussion on their website on whether political parties will become extinct.
The Association of Police Authorities sent an open letter to the Home Secretary criticising her over comments she made comparing Boris Johnson’s high profile role following the riots and the lack of an equivalent position in the rest of the country.
The Department of Health is making a record £800 million investment in medical research.
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has highlighted the lack of women in senior posts in the public and private sectors, with a staggering 5,400 women missing!
Around the country, some of our local councillors have been very busy.
A very brief post on Councillor Iain Roberts’ MyCouncillor website is a good reminder that ‘restorative justice’ is nothing new and some Lib Dem councils, such as his in Stockport, have been doing it for years.
Councillor Alex Folkes from Cornwall uncovers the size of his council’s bill for new vehicles – £5.5 million in two years.
Finally, the first official biography of Nick Clegg comes out at the weekend and last week extracts appeared in the Mail on Sunday. You can read more about it here. Don’t forget that if you buy the book through this link then you are helping ALDC as we receive a small commission.