Scotland's First Minister, Rt. Hon. Alex Salmond MSP, will address the COSLA/Improvement Service Annual Conference this week (16-17 February 2012).
Entitled "Great Expectations" the Conference will examine closely how Scottish local government, and the wider public sector, can continue to meet the expectation of the communities they are elected to serve in a climate of diminishing resources.
The First Minister will deliver the keynote address on Friday 17 February. Prior to that, the Conference will be opened by John Swinney MSP and will hear from Johann Lamont MSP, Willie Rennie MSP and Alex Johnstone MSP.
Delegates will also be addressed by COSLA President Councillor Pat Watters CBE, Councillor Jenny Dawe, Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, as well as three of COSLA's Leading Spokespeople - Councillors Michael Cook, Douglas Yates and Harry McGuigan.
The packed Conference programme will also include input from COSLA Chief Executive Rory Mair and Sir Peter Housden, Permanent Secretary at the Scottish Government, Colin Mair, Chief Executive of the Improvement Service, Dr Jim McManus, Director of Public Health at Birmingham City Council, two of Scotland's leading academics Professors John Curtice and James Mitchell from Strathclyde University as well as Stuart Dillett, Managing Director of Land Engineering.
The Annual COSLA Excellence Awards Ceremony, which celebrates innovation and outstanding achievement in local government, will once again take place on the Thursday night (16 Feb).
Commenting ahead of his final Annual Conference as President, Councillor Watters said: "The political landscape in Scotland has changed, the financial pressures on us all have become much more severe and we face our own elections in a matter of weeks.
"All of us involved in Scottish local government have a commitment to it and to our communities. It is my view that we also all share the conviction that a strong local democracy, no matter what the external pressures are, is the best way to improve the circumstances and outcomes being delivered for local communities.
"This belief is undoubtedly what keeps us pushing forward and what motivates us, whether locally or nationally, to debate through COSLA the next big issues that will ensure Scottish local government continues to develop, improve and deliver even better, despite the difficulties, for the communities throughout Scotland."
Find out more about the COSLA/Improvement Service Annual Conference 2012
