All present and correct..?
This year’s Local Government Association conference in Birmingham seemed to be the place to be last week.
Prime minister, David Cameron, made his keynote speech of the week on public sector pensions to the conference, and was joined on the platform by half the Cabinet, it would seem. Deputy PM, Nick Clegg; health secretary, Andrew Lansley; and communities secretary Eric Pickles all did a turn – even leader of the Opposition, Ed Miliband, and his shadow communities secretary, Caroline Flint, were on hand.
And local government minister, Bob Neill, and decentralisation minister, Greg Clark were busy pressing the flesh, as was junior minister, Andrew Stunell.
Early rumours that Cllr David Parsons, leader of Leicestershire CC and failed challenger for the chairmanship of the Local Government Association, was refusing to come to conference proved to be totally unfounded. If there was a fit of pique, it was quickly dispelled to get down to business. Ex-DCLG ministers made the effort. Former housing minister – now shadow health secretary – John Healey turned up for a session. Even the long-gone local government minister, Phil Woolas, was seen to be wandering the corridors of Birmingham ICC. Which all begs the question – where was Grant Shapps?
