Pickles says councils should not have stalls at conference
By Tony Grew - 29th September 2010
Local authorities should not have stalls at party conferences with the aim of lobbying the government, the communities secretary has said.
Today Eric Pickles published new proposals that also include an end to "taxpayers' money being squandered on town hall newspapers or hired lobbyists".
"It may be legitimate for a local authority to have a stall promoting a particular service, such as a conference centre, just as it would at a trade show.
"However, the government considers that it is not an appropriate use of public funds for a council to have a stall at a conference with the aim of lobbying for, for instance, extra resource from central government."
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