He invited the private sector and others to show their backing for local government and the theme of local economic development by supporting the event. The 2011ommonwealth Local Government Conference, which is run by the Commonwealth Local Government Forum,  is being hosted by the Cardiff Council and supported by the Welsh Assembly Government  and will be held at City Hall, Cardiff, from 15-18 March 2011.

The Commonwealth Local Government Conference is the big international event in the local government calendar for senior decision-makers and practitioners to meet and learn about new ideas, approaches, and products that can support their councils to deliver better services. It will bring hundreds of thousands in inward investment to the city and allow Cardiff and local partners to showcase some of their local government projects and partnerships.

The conference is held every two years, but this is the first time it has been held in Wales. The theme of this event is Energising local economies: partnerships for prosperous communities which will focus on the role that local government can play in economic development, especially in the current financial climate.

The conference will attract some 600 high-level politicians, policy-makers and practitioners from national and local governments from around the world, with a significant number of people from the Bahamas, the wider Caribbean and further afield – Asia, Africa Europe and the Pacific.

At previous conference speakers have included Emeritus Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Professor Jeffrey Sachs, Prime Minister Helen Clark and President Museveni, ministers responsible for local government, mayors, council leaders and chief councillors and partners from the private sector, development agencies and civil society.

CLGF Secretary-General Carl Wright said:

“The theme of this conference – energising local economies is very timely in the current global financial climate. More and more local councils across the Commonwealth have increased responsibility for the economic well-being of their citizens and are looking at ways to improve skills, support business and attract inward investment. The discussions and outcomes of the conference will help our member ministries and local governments to strengthen their processes and partnerships and deliver better services, and will be presented to Commonwealth Heads of Government for their backing.

Cardiff Council Leader Cllr Rodney Berman said:

“We are delighted to be hosting this conference in Cardiff. Cardiff and Wales have historically had their own economic challenges, but we have rallied to these with some successful and innovative regeneration projects as well as smaller-scale enterprise and skills development solutions.  We hope that colleagues from across the Commonwealth will come to share and learn from our experiences, and that we will also hear from them about some of the innovative ways in which they are funding sustainable solutions to boosting local economies.  We are keen that the conference provides a platform to promote and strengthen the relationship between local government and the private sector.  A stronger public and private partnership approach is the key to assisting local government to deliver their services more efficiently in the future, and also to boost jobs and business investment in our local economies.  We would encourage local and international businesses to support the event and maximise this opportunity to interact with key decision makers in local government from the 54 countries of the commonwealth “

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Note to editors

• The Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) was founded in 1995, as a focus for action on local democracy in the Commonwealth. It works to promote and strengthen democratic local government across the commonwealth and to encourage exchange of best practice. It has some 200 members in more than 45 Commonwealth countries including national ministries, local councils, and local government associations.
• The CLGF holds its main conference every two years with the purpose of providing an opportunity to exchange information and ideas on topical issues, developments and best practice in local government; help shape CLGF’s future policies and research and feed into Commonwealth policy and agenda setting; and to provide networking opportunities for local government leaders, ministers and officials. Previous conferences were held in England, South Africa, Scotland and New Zealand.
• The 2011 Commonwealth Local Government conference will take place in Cardiff, UK from 10-115-18 March 2011 and will be hosted by the Cardiff Council with the support of the Welsh Assembly Government.
• The conference is expected to attract 500 – 700 mayors, central government ministers, senior central and local government officials and likely a number of Heads of Government.