LGA chairman Sir Jeremy Beecham

The Local Government Association annual conference has heard a call for councillors to "fight for local government".

Sir Jeremy Beecham, LGA chairman, told delegates gathered in Harrogate that national politicians are now beginning to look towards the next general election.

It is the role of councillors who also work as party activists to make sure that local authorities were represented in election manifestos, he said.

With Whitehall debate increasingly focusing on the local delivery of public services, the years ahead would be crucial for town halls, Beecham argued.

"It is a time therefore when those of us with party political affiliations need to ensure that the voice, the role, the potential of local government is reflected in policy making on which the next election will be fought," he said in a keynote speech.

"And now, with the emergence of the 'new localism', it is more important than ever for local councillors as representatives and leaders of their communities to stake their claim to shape policy and to demonstrate that when it comes to governance, we are in the front line."

"When we leave Harrogate let us hear the words similar to those once used by a Liberal leader - go back to our town halls and prepare to fight for local government."

Charlie Leadbetter of think tank Demos and Sir Brian Briscoe LGA chief executive were also due to address the opening session of the three day event.

And local government minister Nick Raynsford will speak to a New Local Government Network fringe meeting on "New ways of working".

On Wednesday Raynsford announced round five of the government's Beacon Council scheme with £5 million being made available to the successful authorities.

The scheme aims to identify and reward the best performing authorities and highlight the best practices from which other councils can learn.

Launching the scheme Raynsford said that it had already made a real difference to local government quality.

"The beacon scheme has been hugely successful in improving the quality of key public services," he said.

"It rewards excellence in the frontline and enables authorities to learn from each other to improve the services they deliver."

Beecham welcomed the additional funds and encouraged his colleagues to claim them.

"There is a lot of good work going on in local government and service delivery across the country, and it is important that the beacon scheme captures this so that others can learn from it," he said.