The last Labour Cabinet minister to oversee local government reorganisation was John Denham in 2009-10 when it became bogged down in judicial reviews. The memory has clearly not deterred the current Labour government since it has now embarked on the most radical restructuring of two tier areas in over half a century, much to Denham's surprise.

Denham was communities secretary in 2009, succeeding Hazel Blears after her resignation and in an exclusive interview with The MJ he recalls: ‘I've never been a great reorganiser. I always worried about the institutional cost. I wouldn't have done wider reorganisation at that time and I had no plans to do so. I wasn't expecting this current round. I had a view the Government would want strategic authorities in place first, then two tier changes later.