Congratulations on your appointment as minister for communities and local government. This is one of the most important roles in government, and the fact that you, as a former head of the prime minister's policy unit, have been given it, must reflect the seriousness with which local government is regarded by Number 10. We hope you won't mind if we pass on a few thoughts you might find useful as you digest your new role. First, forget what you learned at Number 10, and the DfES where you were minister. Contrary to perceptions there, local government is not a single, inert bureaucracy, run by councillors and officers resistant to change. It includes the best, the worst and the average.
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