Overall, he is keen on what has come out of the White Paper. He has obviously settled in well to the culture of the commission, as he uses its phrase to describe the White Paper as having a 'clear direction of travel'. But he says there is much to play for. There is a lot of 'blank canvas' waiting to be filled, and he claims: 'It provides a space and it is up to people in local government, and their partners to fill it.'
The new CAA may be a fresh obstacle for local government to climb, but it will also be a massive challenge to find a way to inspect it. One of the main differences is that it is based on risk assessment of future performance, rather than simply looking at past performance.
'It is forward looking, not backward looking. And that will pose quiet a challenge,' he says, adding: 'It will be an interesting challenge to assess our own assessments.'
 'If we identify risks and none of them happen, does that mean we were wrong?' Instead, he argues it could mean that the risks were identified in time, and action was taken to avoid the problems from happening in the first place.
Then there is the difficulty in inspecting relationships outside the local authority.
'We are going to have to find a range of tools to measure the effectiveness of LSPs. There are a lot of intangible things, such as trust, that we will have to find ways to measure. It is not necessarily the local authorities' fault if an LSP is failing - but they will have the lead role in making it work.'
So, despite the 'area' assessment, if the local authority is doing well and it's LSP is failing, that will have to be reflected in the CAA.
And, as if that was not enough to contend with, Michael has higher hopes for the future of the commission. Under chief executive Steve Bundred, it has already beefed-up its policy and research team.
Now Michael is keen to create more of a 'copy-cat culture' in local government, using the experience and knowledge of the commission and its inspectors. He wants to share best practice in an effort to drive up performance, as well as the more traditional carrot-and-stick methods used in the past.
While the Local Government Association and IDeA both have a role in this, he says he would like to see the Audit Commission involved too - using information and knowledge picked up by auditors to spread good practice. He says this could be done by in-depth reports, websites, e-bulletins - even by podcasts - in the future. 'Otherwise we are wasting a lot of knowledge.'
Michael grew up in Dublin, and went on to Dublin University to study public policy and economics. In his final year, he was supposed to make a choice between one or the other, but he says he 'made them change the rules'.
He claims it is not something he makes a habit of. 'I don't set out to change the rules. I'm more interested in common sense than in rules.'
He went on to complete a Masters in social policy at the LSE while the Irish Civil Service held a job open for him. 'I hope it is not still holding it,' he quips.
After a career in academia, he went on to join consultant Price Waterhouse - as it was then - in the late-1980s, followed by PA Consulting Group from 1997. He claims his career moves are more to do with luck than design - including this latest role at the Audit Commission.
He always thought he would do something different in his 50s. After the summer of his 52nd birthday, he chose to move on. The announcement that he would stand down from PA Consulting went out on a Friday in April. That Sunday, the Audit Commission job was advertised. 'It was serendipity,' he says.
When he is not working at the Audit Commission, what does he do? 'That is what I want to find out,' he says. The first plan is to go to Australia for the Ashes.
He is a regular at the Tate Modern, which is near where he lives. I ask if he commutes by river, as his office in Millbank Tower overlooks the pier below. Unfortunately, the timing is not right, but he is hopeful he may be able to in future.
The commission chairmanship is, in theory, a two-day a week role. He would like to do another non-executive role, perhaps for a charity.
'I have a great capacity for laziness which I keep at bay by working.