LGA Conference in Birmingham

I haven't been to Birmingham since I closed an office down in the centre some thirty years ago. That is not quite true because I have been to the NEC and the outskirts many times but not right in the heart at Paradise Circus. In fact all those years ago you avoided that area as virtually no go for obvious reasons. Now however the centre is an absolute delight with an active economy right down to and along the canal. I have to say that I was highly impressed. The three day conference was entitled 'Localism Works' and various dignitaries including the P.M and deputy P.M. regaled us with the new decentralised process which is going to change our lives in the next decade. No more prescriptive, centralised, top down stuff, we are now on our own! That is apart from European Legislation of course and the 'uman rights' stuff which still frustrates the life out of me. The interesting thing for me was how far ahead of the game we in Christchurch and East Dorset are with our partnership working and all the early intervention programs we have initiated not just in Christchurch but right across the County. It dawned on me that we had localism at the centre of our policies for years with our determination to work with and enthuse our communities to join our partnership and get things done.