Recommended reading for Liberal Democrat councillors and local campaigners from the last seven days:

There has been two bits of news on police this week.  Firstly, the good news that the elections for Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales will be delayed until November 2012 instead of being held on the same day as next year's local elections.  Secondly, in Scotland there has been opposition from local authorities to proposals by the SNP government to merge all of the police forces in to one force.  Something which the Scottish Lib Dems have been campaigning against for some time.

This week, the first 24 free schools opened in various places around the country, but there was controversy within the coalition when Nick Clegg demanded that whilst they should have flexibility in their curriculum and how they are run they shouldn't be allowed to make a profit.  On the opposite of the argument saying that free schools would have to make a profit was fellow Lib Dem Phil Willis.

On Lib Dem Voice, there was a discussion about the 'general power of competence' that local authorities will receive under the Localism Bill and whether these will be used effectively enough.

Lib Dem Voice's Local Election Channel praises Conservative MP Andrew Selous for tackling Eric Pickles on the amount of money that council chief executive's pocket for being the local returning officer.

There's a useful article myth-busting the current proposals to change the planning process on Conservative Home.  For a bit of balance there was an article in the Daily Telegraph by National Trust Director-General Fiona Reynolds criticising the changes.

Around the country:

Cornwall Council is to tighten up on people who have second homes who register to vote.

In Southwark, the local Lib Dems block a plan by the Labour council to build a £120,000 roof terrace at their council offices.

Within the Liberal Democrats the big news of the week was the announcement that Chief Executive Chris Fox is to step down from his job before the end of the year.

Recommended reading for Liberal Democrat councillors and local campaigners from the last seven days:

In general political news, Neil Monnery reports that Nick Clegg's approval ratings have gone up dramatically during August amongst Liberal Democrat supporters.

Richard Morris and Nick Thornsby highlight an article in the Evening Standard that complains about the Liberal Democrats getting in the way of the Tories - something that many Lib Dems will be pleased about.

On Liberal Democrat Voice Chris Rennard asks us to remember what was happening in politics four years ago and why we shouldn't lose heart now.

In the local government world:

The LGA has an overview of the work councils are doing to help those places hit by the riots to get back to normal and to improve local communities.

The government is currently consulting on proposals to allow councils to charge utility companies and anyone else who wishes to dig up roads during rush hour.

The BBC Scotland website profiles the Lib Dem Leader of Edinburgh City Council Jenny Dawe, including her history of golf club snake slaying!

In Shropshire, long-serving Liberal Democrat Peter Phillips is stepping down from Shropshire Council after 30 years of service.

Finally, for those who want to know more about the Localism Bill there's a useful 'plain English' guide to the Localism Bill which you can download as a PDF.

Recommended reading for Liberal Democrat councillors and local campaigners from the last seven days:

In national news that affects local government:

PFI schemes have come under further criticism following a report from the Treasury Select Committee.

The BBC have a discussion on their website on whether political parties will become extinct.

The Association of Police Authorities sent an open letter to the Home Secretary criticising her over comments she made comparing Boris Johnson’s high profile role following the riots and the lack of an equivalent position in the rest of the country.

The Department of Health is making a record £800 million investment in medical research.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission has highlighted the lack of women in senior posts in the public and private sectors, with a staggering 5,400 women missing!

Around the country, some of our local councillors have been very busy.

A very brief post on Councillor Iain Roberts’ MyCouncillor website is a good reminder that ‘restorative justice’ is nothing new and some Lib Dem councils, such as his in Stockport, have been doing it for years.

Councillor Alex Folkes from Cornwall uncovers the size of his council’s bill for new vehicles - £5.5 million in two years.

Finally, the first official biography of Nick Clegg comes out at the weekend and last week extracts appeared in the Mail on Sunday.  You can read more about it here.  Don’t forget that if you buy the book through this link then you are helping ALDC as we receive a small commission.

Recommended reading for Liberal Democrat councillors and local campaigners from the last seven days:

With the news dominated by riots in London and other cities around the country, that is where this week’s Read All About It! will start off.

In the latest edition of his news email Hughes News, Deputy Leader Simon Hughes talked about the effect the riots had on his own constituency and about Nick Clegg’s visit to talk to local residents.

On a visit to Birmingham, Nick Clegg also called for people to work together to ensure there was no repeat of what has happened.

On Liberal Democrat Voice, Stephen Tall wrote about the debate on the causes of the riots and whether it’s all about the economy.

On her own blog Caron Lindsay made a plea for a liberal response to the riots.

On LocalGov you can read about the package that DCLG is putting together to help those areas affected by the riots:

Away from the riots there have been other bits of news this week of interest.

The Information Commissioner has ruled that Freedom of Information requests received by Twitter should be dealt with in the same way as other requests.

Some councils are looking at using the new Localism Bill to extend the ban on smoking in public places to parks, play areas and streets.

LocalGov covers a report by the Financial Times which shows that PFI adds £20billion of interest to the cost of public sector infrastructure projects.

MPs have called for an end to the NHS Electronic Care Records (ECR) system describing it as “unworkable”.

Housing Minister Grant Shapps has announced plans to make it easier to evict 'neighbours from hell'

Eric Pickles has launched a consultation in to how councils will take control of council tax benefits, but under certain conditions:

Around the country:

The Labour leader of Greater Manchester Fire Authority has been criticised for claiming £20,000 of expenses in a year.

And in North Yorkshire, the Conservative group researcher is in court accused of smuggling drugs in to the country via his address at County Hall.

Recommended reading for Liberal Democrat councillors and local campaigners from the last seven days:

This week the government launched the 'Big Society Bank' which will help fund social enterprises and charities.

The government has also launched the Draft National Planning Policy Framework, to mixed reviews.  This framework will see the scrapping of Planning Policy Guidance (PPG) and various other documents and advice, with just one document.

The latest set of Enterprise Zones have been officially announced by the government for Sheffield, Birmingham, Bristol and Leeds.

The Liberal Democrats in the Greater London Assembly have announced plans for electric vehicles to be used throughout the capital by 2020.

Councils throughout the country have submitted their dates for when the public will be allowed to inspect the accounts for each local authority.

The discussions over police commissioners continues whilst the House of Lords decides whether to support the bill or not.  ALDC Management Committee members Cllr Chris White has written a piece for Lib Dem Voice on whether the Conservatives will even put up candidates.

In Reading, Lib Dem Cllr Warren Swaine has had his party membership reinstated over a remark he made on Twitter.

Simon Titley writes for Liberator with his take on the reasons why we performed so badly in the local elections in May.

Jo Swinson MP has managed to gain news coverage both in this country and in the United States for her campaign for body confidence and against the digital manipulation of photographs in this regard.

Mark Pack reports on moves by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Nick Clegg to you and me) to lengthen the timetable for parliamentary elections and as a result the various deadlines associated with the election.