for onsite service
Key Issues 149: 24 September 2008
to receive or contribute to this newsletter, please send an email with 'Key Issues' in the subject line to:
Email: info@londoncouncils.gov.uk
Population data
London Councils has welcomed the government's commitment to work with local authorities to improve its migration and population data following the government's response last week to a select commitee report that had highlighted flaws in its statistics. London Councils has previously raised concerns that the figures used by government to distribute funding currently fail to accurately count the size of the capital's population.
Read London Councils press release
Read the government's response (18 September 2008)
Read the select committee report (16 July 2008)
Contact: Abid Rafiq, local government finance manager (technical)
Be a councillor
London Councils is holding two seminars during local democracy week (13-19 October) for people interested in standing for election at the 2010 local elections. The seminars, part of the be a councillor campaign, will take place on Tuesday 14 October between 7-9pm and Saturday 18 October between 10am and midday, at the Novotel City South, 53-61 Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1.
Find out more about the seminars and register at www.beacouncillor.org.uk
Find out more about local democracy week events in London
Contact: Emma Stewart, promotions manager
Heathrow consultation
The Department for Transport has published a consultation document seeking views on its approach to conducting an Equalities Impact Assessment on proposals outlined in the 'Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport' consultation. The consultation period runs from 15 September - 9 November 2008.
Read the consultation and supporting documents
Contact: Marisa Burnal, policy and project manager (infrastructure)
School funding
Some London boroughs are reporting difficulties financing new pupil places at primary school level that cannot be met from current capital funding allocations from the Department for Children, Schools and Families. London Councils is currently looking into both the extent and causes of this problem in London. Authorities experiencing this problem should contact local government finance policy manager Lorena Esposito-Storey
Road signs review
London Councils has welcomed the government's announcement of a major review of road signs. The review will consider new powers to reduce street clutter, as well as how using new traffic sign technologies can better manage traffic flow and ways to improve road users' understanding of traffic signs and signals. London Councils corporate director for services Nick Lester has been invited to sit on the review's steering commitee.
Read Department for Transport press release
Contact: Nick Lester, corporate director for services
Third Sector commissioning
A national conference on third sector commissioning will take place in central London on 24 November. The conference, hosted by Capita and supported by London Councils, Commission for the Compact and ACEVO, will look at overcoming barriers to effective commisioning of third sector services.
