This year's Local Government Association conference in Birmingham seemed to be the place to be last week.
Prime minister, David Cameron, made his keynote speech of the week on public sector pensions to the conference, and was joined on the platform by half the Cabinet, it would seem. Deputy PM, Nick Clegg; health secretary, Andrew Lansley; and communities secretary Eric Pickles all did a turn – even leader of the Opposition, Ed Miliband, and his shadow communities secretary, Caroline Flint, were on hand.
