PrintSpeaker Profiles
Ken Livingstone
He has twice held the chief executive office in London local government: firstly as leader of the Greater London Council from 1981 until the council was abolished in 1986 by the government of Margaret Thatcher, and secondly as the first Mayor of London, a post he held from its creation in 2000 until 2008. He also served as Labour Party Member of Parliament for Brent East between 1987 and 2001.
John Prescott MP
Deputy Prime Minister from 1997 to 2007, John Prescott MP last year announced that he would not be standing again for re-election as MP for Hull East, 37 years after first winning the seat. John Prescott led the UK delegation on the Kyoto Protocol and was instrumental in pursuing an integrated transport policy as part of his remit for Minister responsible for Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions.
John Healey MP, Minister of State, Dept for Communities and Local Government
John Healey was appointed as Minister of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government on 29 June 2007 and since 1997 has been Member of Parliament for Wentworth, South Yorkshire. He has lead responsibility for local government policy and finance, including local government pensions plus cities and regions.
Yvette Cooper MP became Chief Secretary to the Treasury in the January 2008. A Scottish-born former Independent journalist, she became MP for Pontefract and Castleford in 1997 after working as an economic researcher for Labour leader John Smith and adviser to US President Bill Clinton. She has attended cabinet since 2007, when she was appointed Housing Minister.
Edward Leigh MP, Chairman, Public Accounts Committee
Edward Leigh MP sits in the House of Commons as an MP for Gainsborough in Linconshire and has been an MP since 1983. He has served as Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, responsible for overseeing government expenditures to ensure they are effective and honest, since 2001.
Lord Coe, Chairman, London Olympic Organising Committee
Former Olympian and Conservative MP, Lord Coe will be addressing the closing Plenary Session of this year’s conference. As well as being a four-time Olympic medal winner he was instrumental in London successfully bidding for the 2012 Games. He is currently the chairman of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and in 2007 he was elected a vice-president of the International Association of Athletics Federations.
Sir Simon Milton, Chairman, Local Government Association
Sir Simon is leader of Westminster City Council and Chairman of the Local Government Association, the body for advancing the interests of local authorities in England and Wales. He was named as a recipient of a knighthood in the 2006 New Year's honours list.
Lucy de Groot, Executive Director, IDeA
Lucy de Groot became Executive Director of the IDeA in September 2003. Previously she was Director of Public Services in HM Treasury for three and a half years, responsible for major areas of public expenditure, as well as the delivery of public service agreements and a range of strategic policies including the Voluntary Sector and Every Child Matters.