Right from the start, the relationship between communities secretary Eric Pickles and local government has never been a comfortable one.

While the local government secretary may consider his handling of the sector to be ‘shaking up' or ‘improving', many of those on the receiving end find it more akin to playground bully-boy tactics. Mr Pickles doesn't use a sledgehammer to crack a nut – he goes straight in with a bulldozer and a demolition squad.