Mr Barber's speech, at the annual North of England Education conference in Bradford, horrified local council leaders and teaching unions especially when he praised two American schemes in which schools were taken over by a soap maker and a management consultancy.

ECONOMIST: Schools

Last month, Staffordshire's county council incurred the wrath of HS2 supporters by organising a conference for local residents and business people.

BBC: HS2 spells double trouble in next week's council poll

Policies the conference will be asked to back include replacing Council Tax with a Local Income Tax and introducing a new Welsh Language Act to incorporate utilities which have moved from public to private sector since the current Act was passed.

BBC: NEWS | Programmes | Politics Show | Wales: Where next for Welsh Lib Dems?