Eric Pickles

  • Savings don't stop cavings

    18 June 2018

    Ex-communities secretary Eric Pickles is soon to be elevated to join his House of Lords chums, heralding a new chapter in his political career.

  • Pickles for Strictly?

    14 May 2018

    These days secretaries of state at Marsham Street barely have time to gather their thoughts before they are catapulted to another part of Whitehall.

  • Davis has Pickles for lunch

    23 February 2018

    Former communities secretary Eric Pickles was rather fond of a free lunch.

  • Declining pay is an issue for both staff and chiefs

    26 July 2017

    It seems like another era when communities secretary Eric Pickles lambasted council chief executives for earning ‘more than the prime minister.’

  • The pick of Pickles

    24 May 2017

    Diary has long been unashamed in its appreciation for former communities secretary Sir Eric Pickles.

  • 4 Wheel Drive Woman on Eric Pickles

    26 April 2017

    Gosh, Tarquin, this talk of a General Election is absolutely exhausting.

  • Pickles to stand down as MP

    24 April 2017

    Former communities secretary Sir Eric Pickles has announced he is standing down as MP for Brentwood and Ongar after 25 years.

  • Councils dig into reserves to put off hard decisions

    14 February 2017

    Almost two out of three key finance decision-makers plan to dip into their reserves this year, research by The MJ and LGiU think-tank has found.

  • A million pounds of fun

    24 January 2017

    Diary has long lamented the decline of local newspapers and its impact on democracy.

  • Rebel councils stand firm in face of DCLG crackdown

    16 December 2016

    Three rebel local authorities flouting the Department for Communities and Local Government’s (DCLG) clampdown on so-called town hall Pravdas have defiantly vowed to continue publishing them.

  • Sajid Javid has yet to set the agenda

    31 August 2016

    Sajid Javid is yet to make his mark on local government policy but his rhetoric on council budgets could be a cause for concern, says Heather Jameson

  • Pickles in ID for voters call

    12 August 2016

    The electoral system in Britain needs widespread reforms to crack down on corruption and fraud, a report from Sir Eric Pickles has warned.

  • Business as usual?

    10 August 2016

    Serious concerns still remain over the logistics of business rates redistribution. Finance expert Frances Foster talks to Dan Peters about the pitfalls of pilots, the crucial question of ‘need’ and the future of SIGOMA’s campaign work.

  • Westminster leader joins House of Lords

    05 August 2016

    The leader of Westminster City Council has been made a peer in David Cameron’s resignations honours list.

  • A gong for Westlake

    02 August 2016

    The news headlines were dominated at the weekend with stories about David Cameron’s resignation honours list.

  • Wirral considers 'town hall Pravda'

    17 June 2016

    Wirral MBC is considering defying government guidelines by launching a new monthly publication.

  • NAO’s undercover role

    25 May 2016

    Some readers would have been gripped by the recent BBC drama series Undercover, in which a defence lawyer tries to finally uncover the truth of an old miscarriage of justice.

  • Too many cooks?

    11 May 2016

    During Eric Pickles’ reign, any local government activity that may have been viewed as a bit too frivolous died a death.

  • Future Forum 2016: Chief executives 'fired up and positive'

    21 April 2016

    Local government chief executives are feeling more positive about their jobs compared to a year ago, a survey by Penna has found.

  • Another initiative joins the Whitehall scrapheap

    01 April 2016

    Michael Burton considers the downfall of the Public Service Transformation Network and asks what might be next for the great Whitehall scrapheap