LGA annual rural conference 2012

Windermere - 12 September 2012

The LGA's annual rural conference is the key event for rural policy and decision makers in local government. This well-established event provides a unique opportunity for elected members, officers and others involved in rural affairs to network and discuss how rural issues can be addressed by local authorities.

Timings

Registration time: 10.15 am
Start time: 11.00 am
End time: 4.00 pm

Who should attend?

• leading members representing and serving rural communities
• corporate policy officers and other rural policy makers
• members and officers from national and regional stakeholders
• chief executives and officers of rural authorities
• organisations responsible for, or involved with, rural affairs
• voluntary sector organisations involved with rural communities
• private sector companies working with rural communities.

Why you should attend

The conference will showcase the rural perspective on some of the most significant issues being debated across local government.

The annual rural conference will be held on Wednesday 12 September 2012 at Low Wood Bay in Windermere and will be preceded by a meeting of the LGA Rural Commission on 11 September. The details of the commission meeting will be sent under separate cover to its members.

The rural debate will be stimulated by speeches from senior politicians and policy makers, as well as contributions from elected members and officers who are working to deliver policies and services. You will have the opportunity to hear about developments in policy and practice and suggest how these should be shaped to meet the needs of rural communities.

Key issues will be discussed both in plenary and fully interactive workshop sessions that will allow delegates to debate these issues with representatives of Government, local authorities and representative expert groups.

Welcome evening reception: booking essential.

There will be a civic reception for delegates booked onto the conference, taking place on the evening of Tuesday 11 September, kindly hosted by South Lakeland District Council. This will involve either a boat trip or bus trip, followed by a drinks reception at Brockhole Visitor Centre. If you have booked your delegate place and would like to attend, please indicate your choice of trip, in order of preference by Wednesday 29 August on the ‘evening reception form' link below and send to

events@local.gov.uk

Download the Record of Attendance form (PDF, 1 page, 37KB)

Download the map (PDF, 1 page, 67KB)

Download the evening reception form (PDF, 1 page, 24KB)

Programme

10.15 am Registration, refreshments and exhibition
10.30 am Breakfast fringe: fairer funding 
Graham Biggs MBE, Chief Executive and Dan Bates, Performance Director,
SPARSE Rural and the Rural Services Network (Room: Grasmere/Buttermere)
11.00 am Chairman's welcome and introduction
Councillor Ken Hudson MBE JP, Chairman, LGA Rural Commission
11.10 am Keynote ministerial address
Owen Paterson MP, Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
11.30 am Questions and discussion
12.00 pm Refreshments
12.15 pm Rural growth
Ivan Annibal, Rural Practitioner, Rose Regeneration; Lord Robin Teverson, Chair of the Rural Coalition; Suzanne Caldwell, Head of Communications and Business Services, Cumbria Chamber of Commerce
12.45 pm Questions and discussion
1.00 pm Lunch and exhibition 
1.45 pm Local government's Public Health responsibilities
Councillor David Rogers OBE, Chairman, LGA Community Wellbeing Board; Professor John Ashton CBE, Joint Director of Public Health for Cumbria Primary Care Trust and Cumbria County Council
2.15 pm Questions and discussion
2.25 pm Chairman's closing remarks and introduction to workshops
Councillor Ken Hudson MBE JP, Chairman, LGA Rural Commission
2.30 pm Workshop sessions 
W1: The Rural Statement – Sara Eppel, Head of Rural Communities Policy Unit, Defra (Room: Lake Suite – main meeting room)
W2: Delivering new homes: where next? – Charlotte Harrison, Executive Director, Northern Housing Consortium; Lesley Bassett, Housing Strategy and Enabling Officer, Cheshire West and Chester Council (Room: Rydal/Elterwater)
W3: Ageing well in rural communities – Judy Rainer, Head of Adult Health and Wellbeing, Suffolk County Council (Room: Grasmere/Buttermere)
W4: Rural broadband – Councillor Elizabeth Mallinson, Cabinet Member and Jim Savege, Corporate Director – Organisational Development, Cumbria County Council; Barry Forde, Chief Executive, Broadband for the Rural North (B4RN) (Room: Buckley)
3.15 pm Comfort break
3.20 pm Workshops repeated
4.05 pm Conference closes 

Speakers

• Owen Paterson MP, Secretary of State, Defra
• Councillor David Rogers OBE, Chairman, LGA Community Wellbeing Board
• Sara Eppell, Head of Rural Communities Policy Unit, Defra
• Judy Rainer, Head of Adult Health and Wellbeing, Suffolk Council
• Councillor Elizabeth Mallinson, Cabinet Portfolio Holder, Organisational Development, Cumbria County Council
• Ivan Annibal, Economic Development Practitioner, Rose Regeneration and Chair of the Institute of Economic Development Educational Trust
• Charlotte Harrison, Executive Director, Policy & Public Affairs, Northern Housing Consortium

How to book

Please refer to our terms and conditions of booking situated on the left hand side of the screen. Please complete the online booking form on this page or complete the downloadable booking form.

Delegate booking form (PDF, 1 page, 27KB)

Accommodation

There is now very limited room availability at the conference venue, Low Wood Bay Hotel. This is a 4 star resort hotel with a full leisure club and watersports centre, situated on the shores of Lake Windermere. Please call them directly as soon as possible to reserve a room on telephone: 01539 439431 or 439440, quoting reference 700407/LGA Annual Conference.

For details of alternative local guest houses and hotels, please contact the Tourist Information Centre in Windermere on telephone: 015394 46499 or email info@ticwindermere.co.uk or the Tourist Information Centre in Ambleside on telephone: 015394 32582 or email info@ticambleside.co.uk.

Please note that the LGA does not take responsibility for accommodation bookings.

Westmorland County Show

The 213th Westmorland County Show will take place on Thursday, 13 September at Lane Farm, Crooklands, Kendal LA7 7NH. It is one of the largest and oldest one-day shows in the country and attracts more than 30,000 people. It is a major livestock show, with its heart firmly in agriculture, along with marquees for local produce and crafts and more than 350 trade stands. Delegates attending the conference could choose to stay overnight on 12 September and attend the Westmorland County Show the following day.

Westmorland County Show website

Further information

For further information or any other queries, please contact:

The Events team
Telephone: 020 7664 3131
Email: events@local.gov.uk

For sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, please contact:

Richard Mole
Telephone: 020 7664 3157
Email: richard.mole@local.gov.uk

Special requirements

Due to the pressures on the provision of special requirements, such as BSL interpreters, the LGA will need six weeks' notice to provide this service.

Share:

7 September 2012