Last chance to book: LGA Labour/ALC ‘Effective Opposition’ conference: 10am-5pm, Friday 14 June 2019, Birmingham
Over 120 delegates are now booked to attend the LGA Labour Group and Association of Labour Councillors ‘Effective Opposition’ conference on Friday. The final places will sell out before Friday – so book your place today or you may miss out.
Andrew Gwynne MP, shadow secretary of state for Communities and Local Government, is confirmed to attend and deliver a keynote speech. The day will see delegates share best practice in communications, campaigning, and community leadership. High-profile local government speakers will lead sessions looking at effective scrutiny, understanding council finances, and support for opposition councillors, and there will be tailored breakout sessions for frontline councillors, councillors from small groups, and for groups operating in councils with no overall control.
Registration is open to all Labour councillors or political assistants in opposition, and will be held in Birmingham from 10am to 5pm this Friday 14th June. Attendance costs just £10, which includes lunch and refreshments through the day. The conference will sell out and you will not be able to register on the day – so book your place here.
LGA Boards 2018/19 – nominations now open
The nomination process for appointments to the LGA Boards 2019/20 is now open.
If you are interested in applying to a position on an LGA Policy Board, the LGA Leadership Board, Councillors Forum, or a Workforce Employer Body, we would encourage you to read the policy board descriptions and role descriptions. All details can be found on the LGA Labour website, along with the application form.
Members are required to complete an application form and submit it with a 250 word supporting statement. It is important to outline all your experience and areas of interest to enable us to make the most effective appointments to policy leadership positions at the LGA.
Applications close at 5pm on Friday 5 July 2019. Appointments are made by the elected Labour Group Officers, using the principles outlined on the LGA Labour website. Successful nominations will be announced on Monday 22 July 2019.
Please note: We are only able to accept nominations by email. Please email your completed self-nomination form to martin.angus@local.gov.uk
News from local Labour
Norwich City Council received an award in recognition of their exceptional leadership in promoting the Living Wage in their industry and supply chain
Southend-on-Sea councillors elect town’s first ever Labour council leader
Lambeth Council have helped their local NHS Trusts achieve Living Wage status, lifting thousands of low paid staff out of poverty
Cambridge Labour group have launched a campaign to save their local police station
LGA Labour deputy whip Cllr Alice Perry writes about public intimidation of local councillors
Best practice – Support for councillors who are carers
Following on from the success of the parental leave for councillors policy drawn up by the LGA Labour Women’s Taskforce, the Taskforce was asked to produce guidance on how best to support councillors who have caring commitments.
The Taskforce has drawn up guidance on what a good policy to support councillors should look like. This includes making it clear which council duties will be covered by the policy, the rate at which allowances should be paid, who can provide the care and which dependents can be covered by the policy.
We’d encourage all Labour-run councils to use this to either strengthen existing policies to supporting councillors with dependents, or to put a policy in place if this does not already exist. Along with parental leave, this is an important step in encouraging people from a wider range of backgrounds to be councillors, and to ensure that existing councillors with these commitments remain as councillors and have these particular barriers removed from them if they wish to progress to leadership roles.
The guidance can be viewed here. If you have any questions or want to share what your council does in this area, please email hannah.lazell@local.gov.uk
Best practice – Getting more women to stand to be councillors
The LGA Labour Women’s Taskforce is acutely aware that in order to get more women into leadership roles in local government, we need more women to stand to be councillors in the first place.
With that in mind, we’ve produced a best practice guide with examples of how different Labour groups have encouraged women to stand to be councillors. We appreciate that this year’s elections are only just out of the way, but we know that you’ll soon be thinking about next year’s selections soon, so we wanted to have this for your consideration as soon as possible.
The best practice can be viewed here. If you want to share any of the things your local Labour Party does to encourage more women, or if you have any questions please email hannah.lazell@local.gov.uk.
Next Generation Programme 2019/20
The Next Generation Programme for 2019-20 is now open for applications. The programme offers ambitious and talented councillors an unparalleled political development opportunity, uniquely developed within party political traditions and with party political experts. Next Generation aims to support and encourage councillors to be bold and confident political leaders, progress in your political career and be champions of local government.
To apply to be part of the Next Generation you will need to have been a councillor for at least one year as well as be a Group Leader, Portfolio Holder, Service Committee Chair, Portfolio Shadow, or Chair of Scrutiny – or your Group Leader agrees that you are likely to be so within a year. There is a competitive application process, which closes on Wednesday 31 July 2018. You will need sign off from your Group Leader to apply. The programme will run over the weekends of 19/20 October (London), 30 November/1 December (Warwick), and 18/19 January (Manchester). Participants must attend all of the three weekends.
There is no cost to attend the programme, all meals and accommodation will be provided including pre-night accommodation where required. However attendees must cover their own travel costs. If you would like further information about the programme, please email martin.angus@local.gov.uk
To apply please complete the on-line application process.
Remembrance List
Each year at the LGA Labour Group AGM we remember the names of serving Labour councillors who have passed away in the previous year, reading out their names and authorities to mark their contribution to Labour in local government.
We would be very grateful if you could please email hannah.lazell@local.gov.uk with the full names of any members of your Group who have died in the previous twelve months, so that they can be included on the Remembrance List. Please send us your names no later than midday on Friday 28th June.
News from Wales
M4 relief road: Newport motorway plans scrapped
‘Not a family in Bridgend that won't be affected by this’ Labour Council leader Huw David comments on Ford engine plant closure
News from the Labour Party
Labour reveals quarter of a million more patients waiting over 18 weeks for treatment
Labour to put social justice at the heart of everything a Labour government will do with new Social Justice Commission
Labour’s win in the Peterborough by-election – Jeremy Corbyn responds
Loss of high street jobs is bad news for businesses – Bill Esterson
High rents have made young people less mobile – John Healey
US corporations taking over NHS is nightmare scenario – Ashworth responds to Trump
News from the LGA
'first' is the LGA's monthly membership magazine for our 18,200 councillors and local authority chief executives in England and Wales, and is now available in an online format – read the latest version here.
Criminals targeting residents in Council Tax scam 'barrage'
LGA responds to consultation on building safety reforms
LGA responds to public health announcement
SEND crisis: 130 extra children with special needs being supported by councils every day
LGA responds to affordability report by Affordable Housing Commission
LGA responds to IFS research on Sure Start centres
Opposition Watch
Seven of the ten Tory leadership contenders have admitted to taking drugs
Tory councils chief calls Liz Truss’ planning views “absolute twaddle”
By-elections
No by-elections were held on 6 June.
The following by-elections are scheduled for 13 June:
North Kesteven DC, Billinghay, Martin & North Kyme
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