Today Total Politics announces the top 30 Councillor blogs.

Here's the full list:

1 (1) Luke Akehurst
2 (4) Paul Scully
3 (3) Richard Willis
4 (5) Steve Tierney
5 (29) A Lanson Boy
6 (6) Bob Piper
7 From One End of Kent
8 (11) Cllr Tim Blog
9 (16) Fraser Macpherson
10 Rupert Read
11 Ruscombe Green
12 (26) Anthony McKeown
13 Sean Haffey
14 (14) Iain Lindley
15 Louise Baldock
16 Ffranc Sais
17 (7) James Cleverly AM
18 (2) Bickerstaffe Record
19 (17) Roger Evans AM (City Hall)
20 Adlib at You Never Can Tell
21 James Cousins
22 (15) Lightwater
23 (8) Gwilym Euros Roberts
24 Eaten by Missionaries
25 (12) Fair Deal Phil
26 Greening Kirklees
27 Sarah Hayward
28 Cllr Andrew Wallis
29 Cllr Iain Roberts
30 (20) Rene Kinzett

If your blog is one of the ones featured above, please feel free to put the following button in your sidebar and link it through to this post:

This list is the result of more than 2,200 people who voted in the Total Politics Annual Blog Poll during the second half of July.

Click on the blog to visit it.

All these lists, together with articles from leading blog commentators, will be published in the TOTAL POLITICS GUIDE TO POLITICAL BLOGGING, in association with APCO Worldwide. It will be published in October at £14.99. You can preorder your copy HERE.

COMING NEXT: Top 30 MP blogs

Today, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) issued a statement urging the government to go further with its school reforms. The CBI stresses the importance of academia in its recommendations (which is referred to as maths and science). But it also strongly recommends more practical skills-based learning. Nowhere are the arts mentioned.

In fact, CBI’s director of education and skills Susan Anderson suggests four priorities for the government. These centre around increasing attainment and helping underperforming schools. One of her recommendations particularly stands out: “Greater support for schools and students to develop ‘employability’ skills.”

Indeed, James Fothergyll, head of education and skills for CBI, tells Total Politics that this is a “strong message from CBI. Now more than ever it’s important for young people to understand the skills needed by employers ... We need a greater focus on practical skills." CBI would also like to see more direct work from business in schools – it is recommending that businesses be allowed to directly influence education by being able to run “accredited groups of schools”.

Putting so much stress on employability, from a business lobbying firm, is hardly surprising. What is surprising, however, is that these recommendations mimic the government’s own treatment of education: the arts are being sidelined for practical skills.

The government has just announced more money to fund apprenticeships. Now, of course, a recession is likely to make government realise the economic incentives of having the next generation be ready for the job market. But, with the government recent attack on the arts (cuts to DCMS, universities and lecturers) the obvious question arises: if we centre education around practical skills and employment, what will happen to literature, history and art?

The business community and the government seem to think that answering this question is not a priority. Yes, the government should be taking CBI’s recommendations seriously but it should also make sure that, in the process, it doesn't leave the arts trailing behind. After all, a school is for learning not just for employability.

Lord Pearson of Rannoch resigned as leader of UKIP two weeks ago because: "UKIP deserves a better politician than me to lead it." He also (seriously) stated that he wanted to concentrate on “the relationship between good and evil”.

Today he officially stands down. To mark Pearson’s eccentricity therefore Total Politics has compiled a list of his top quotes of the last year:

On being a background figure to media-friendly Nigel Farage

"Obviously Nigel’s a genius. He’s a great man and a great politician and I don’t pretend to be. He was a Derby winner. UKIP have now got a sort of carthorse. We know that and I accept that and I have said that all the way through the hustings."

On not changing his gaffe-prone image

"I’m not going to stop shooting and stalking and I’m going to carry on because I never wanted to be a politician. I’ve always said I’m not a politician and I’m not and I can’t pretend otherwise. And so I make gaffes ... I’ve accused the Muslims of breeding ten times faster than us when what I really meant was their population is going up and so on. I’ve made mistakes but I will probably make more."

Courting controversy

In 2009, Lord Pearson invited Dutch MP Geert Wilders to show his "anti-islamist" film Fitna in the House of Lords. Wilders was turned away in February on the grounds that it would stir up protestors. However, Pearson argued free speech and Wilders was allowed into the UK later that year.

On Wilders’ arrival Pearson commented that it was "a celebration of the victory of freedom of speech over those who would prevent it in this country, particularly the Islamists, the violent Jihadists who are on the march across the world and in the UK".

In the words of a friend

Jonathan Aitken told The Daily Telegraph:
"In my first week at Eton in 1956 I saw this tiny little boy on the football field, not only playing with skill but also tackling boys three times his size."

Tenacious from an early age, Peason has continued in this vein. In his time, as well as strongly fighting the EU, he has attacked the Home Office, Marxism and Lloyd’s of London.

Of course he’s no superhero, but from the football fields of Eton to the House of Lords, this peer will continue his fight against evil. Whatever that is...

Image credit: Getty images

Total Politics speaks to Stephen Greenhalgh, leader of Hammersmith and Fulham Council about the coalition’s policies for local councils, how his university friends are doing on the frontbench and the problem of inexperienced politicians.

As a Conservative council leader, how are you finding the coalition?

I’m very encouraged by what Eric Pickles has achieved in his first 100 days. He has committed more power down to local people. All the moves seem to be towards greater devolution of power and moving from central control – which is a good thing.

Where should Pickles focus next?

He has got various challenges, first of which is he’s got to combine the devolution of power to local authorities and to local people with the fact that we’ve got less money. He’s got to combine that environment with the need to see more house-building – that is going to be a tough one with the economic environment. He’s got to continue the path of cajoling the councils to do the right thing rather than demanding them.

You attracted attention last year for saying: "My mates are all in the shadow cabinet, waiting to get those [ministerial] boxes, being terribly excited. I went to university with them, they haven’t run a piss-up in a brewery. They’re going to get a department of state, in one case running the finances of the nation." What do you think of them now?

Ah ha, well... the context of that is important! It was about the state of national politics and the need to have, I believe, a vibrant political structure below national politics. I feel that is lacking in the United Kingdom, which isn’t the case in the United States and France and other countries. The comment I’ve made is that the shadow cabinet hadn’t run a piss up in a brewery – to paraphrase Obama – "yes they can!" I never said they couldn’t...

How are they doing now?

I was highlighting a problem for all incoming governments. The truth is I think they’ve done incredibly well but it’s only the first 100 days. Tough times lie ahead but I have every confidence that there is clarity of vision and resolve to sort out the nation’s finances and also to grapple with the big issues like welfare reform and decentralising power away from Whitehall.

What do you mean by a "problem" for all incoming governments?

Currently very few politicians have had any practical experience of public administration before they enter government. Few politicians of all political parties have honed skills outside Westminster. Just look at the Labour leadership contenders – almost all of whom are former special advisers. We need urgently to establish a vibrant political structure below national politics and for elected politicians to run cities, towns and local councils well who then to progress onto the national stage.

Lancashire County Council has unveiled a cuts package that could hit jobs in Lancashire children’s homes and young people’s services. Conservative leaders at County Hall claim they have tried to minimise the impact on frontline operations, following reductions in government grants totalling £22m. But opposition councillors insist the most vulnerable will be hit hardest by the raft of spending cuts.

Stoke-on-Trent City councillor Dave Sutton, who announced he would quit the Liberal Democrats, has been rejected from rejoining the Labour Party. The 60-year-old was initially suspended, along with his brother Paul, for criticising the Labour-led council's budget, and subsequently kicked out.

Former Blackburn with Darwen councillor Michael Johnson has been criticised for making an inflammatory speech at a controversial rally. He was a guest speaker at the English Defence League (EDL) demonstration in Bradford city centre on Saturday. He claimed to be "defending our identity from attack".

Three members of Halton Borough Council have resigned from the Liberal Democrats in protest at the party’s coalition with the Conservatives. Councillors Bob Bryant, Peter Blackmore and Chris Carlin will now serve as independents until their terms are up. Meanwhile, they are "considering their options" over whether to form their own party or leave politics at the next election.