I am currently putting together a new book for ALDC which has at its heart ways that councillors and local campaigners can make use of the new legal powers heading their way under the Localism Act and other devolving legislation. Many of the powers are very effective for getting local issues sorted and local communities improved, but will sit on the shelf achieving nothing if active campaigners do not pick them up and put them to use.

It is good to see that Haringey Liberal Democrats are already well ahead of me putting into practice two of the ideas which the book will include.

Stroud Green ward Councillor Richard Wilson has blogged about how the new powers to create cross-council bodies can be used in those areas where council boundaries chop up natural communities.

Elsewhere in the borough, the Liberal Democrat councillors in Fortis Green are running an online local survey to help put into action the new powers to protect community assets.

There is nothing Haringey-specific about either of these ideas and they will in fact work well in many other places right across the country. So why not take a look and think about adapting them for you area?

The book, by the way, will be sent free to all ALDC members so if you have been thinking of joining ALDC, now is a good time to do so. It is a follow up to the Campaigning in your Community book, already out and available.

* Mark Pack is Party President and is the editor of Liberal Democrat Newswire.