Quick updates on news of the moment

Hear the new Chair of the LGA, Sir Merrick Cockell share some earlier ideas on sharing services from his perspective as the Leader of RB Kensington & Chelsea in London.


http://audioboo.fm/boos/193538-cpc10-sir-merrick-cockell-explains-how-councils-can-save-money-via-combining-services

Here's his inaugural speech to the LGA conference in Birmingham this week.


http://www.lgcplus.com/topics/politics/sir-merrick-cockells-speech-to-the-lga-in-full/5031851.article

His election is not universally well received (actually worse than that) on the ConservativeHome website, mainly because the bloggers there demand the LGA's abolition - which is pretty much the answer one hears from that  worldview for anything that isn't directly 'wealth-creating' (who is that 'wealth' for, by the way?).


http://conservativehome.blogs.com/localgovernment/2011/06/cllr-sir-merrick-cockell-to-be-new-lga-chairman.html

News of a more edifying nature - peace breaks out with Eric 'Neutron' Pickles saying:

"many councils had experienced a challenging year, but added: ‘I’m immensely grateful to local government for delivering – it has delivered in a way which has confounded many critics of its ability to manage. (Pickles of course being its greatest critic!!)

‘I think it is [now] in a stronger position.’

‘Of course, at the same time, we were devolving powers and hopefully, we’re about to go on to devolve financial controls to local authorities. It’s time to move on to a period where we can now genuinely, from a position of partnership, work to improve the quality of services.’"

Oh still my beating heart.