Bournemouth - a preview

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8187673276120326871.post-52213348060195743772008-07-02T13:23:00.003+01:002008-07-08T10:36:37.176+01:00Bournemouth - a previewI'm back at my desk in Westminster having just returned from Bournemouth where the Local Government Association is meeting for its annual conference. I used to be a regular visitor to the town as a child but nowadays I only get there for conferences. Being accustomed to attending our Party conferences there, it felt rather disorientating to be there for a cross-Party event. The Lib Dem Group had asked me to be the speaker at their dinner, and I was happy to oblige. I enjoy public speaking (just as well really) and love to catch up with my old friends from local government. There were opportunities to celebrate the successes of last May but also to recognise the largely unsung councils where we have been in control for years - Somerset, Oadby & Wigston and Three Rivers (it's in Hertfordshire for the uninitiated). On the train I happened to run into Peter Wilkinson, Head of Studies at the Audit Commission, and someone I got to know when I was on the Board of the Audit Commission. His most recent report, on the issues facing the local government workforce, was amongst the rather large pile of reading matter I had with me, so I took the opportunity to have a personal briefing on it. It makes rather sobering reading as it highlights the fact that the local government workforce is ageing - a third will retire in the next decade - and the exodus of younger employees to the private sector. Severe shortages are predicted in some areas of work, especially planning, environmental health officers and social workers. Decades of central government belittling public service are now coming back to haunt us.Ros Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423206690160296470noreply@blogger.com