10 Downing Street News

Monday 2 July 2007

Hazel Blears' special advisers

LGC has just got a phone call from Paul Richards, one of Hazel Blears' special advisers. The other is Andy Bagnall, and both have local government backgrounds - Paul was once a councillor at Lewisham and Andy at Croydon.

He was purely calling to introduce himself but LGC takes this as a very good sign. Even during the reign of the localist David Miliband it was a struggle to always get the attention of his special advisers, and here we have one ringing us up.

Obviously we will be meeting with Paul in the near future to find out a bit more about Hazel's priorities. We may even see her herself at this week's LGA conference, although Paul says the exact dates and time either of them will be up there are currently being sorted out.

We also hear that the regional ministers will be meeting as a committee - not sure how regularly but it does appear that there is some kind of strategy in this regional minister plan. Obviously we're just as interested in delivery.

And Phil Woolas has been moved to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs as a minister of state.

1 comment:

Andrew Brown said...

I don't think that Paul was a councillor in Lewisham, but he did work for the Council for a short period.