The Electoral Commission are in for a bit of a bumpy ride in the next couple of weeks, as a report from the committee on standards in public life is due, and is (according to its chairman) going to recommend quite a shake-up.

Before that though, the Commission is advising people who are planning to vote by post or proxy in Mays elections to look out for a letter from their local council, requesting their signature and date of birth.

If you’re putting out a Focus leaflet in the next few weeks, you may want to carry a reminder also.

Councils across England are …

Liberal Democrat Voice has been shown a Freedom of Information request which reveals that in the last four years Labour run Knowsley Council has paid over £47,000 from public coffers to the Labour party, to exhibit at its party conference.

The council’s Freedom of Information officer states “Knowsley exhibits at the Labour Party conference as part of it’s lobbying and positioning work.”

According to the same FOI request as a result of their annual conference bung to the Labour party, Knowsley Council claims to have secured “Ministerial and other VIP visits to the Borough” – perhaps a case of ‘cash for visits’? In any event we’d be interested to know whether government ministers would be prepared to confirm that they conduct official visits on the back of being lobbied by exhibitors paying tens of thousands of pounds to have a stand at their party’s conference.

Lib Dem Voice will likely be maintaining radio silence for a few days, so have a merry Christmas, and if I don’t see you before then, a happy new year.