Activists' patience has finally run out

摘要

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. Largely, councils have taken it on the chin, buckled down and got on with the job in hand. But this time round, things are different. The scathing attack on council tax rises launched by Mr Pickles this week is what we have come to expect. What is unusual, though, is that the party faithful have turned.