As the Conservative-Lib Dem ministerial team meets to discuss its plan for local government this week, Mark Conrad, takes a brief look at Labour's 13-year record stewarding town hall policy.
The sight of Eric Pickles, the new Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government's communities secretary, wandering into Eland House last week, drew to a close 13 years of Labour oversight of local government.
Mr Pickles, author of the Tories' Control shift policy paper, has inherited an unenviable set of economic conditions under which to implement his blueprint. New prime minister, David Cameron, is seeking £6bn of public savings and – given that health and education spending are ring-fenced – fiscal experts believe significant budget cuts will be imposed on town halls.
Some within local government claim the sector's impending thrift is the result of the Labour Government's largesse. Others, that coalition ministers will force on the sector cuts the new Opposition would have postponed. Regardless, there is much talk of Labour's legacy.
So, as the sector awaited news of Mr Pickles' programme, The MJ seized the opportunity to reflect briefly on the record of Labour's six secretaries of state for local government.
