New local government minister Phil Woolas believes local authorities need a clearer idea of their cost pressures so they address them and plan their budgets better In his first interview since taking on the post, he tells The MJ's Michael Burton how he intends to help them. In his first major speech as new local government minister, Phil Woolas managed to combine lavish praise, reveal a glimpse of steel, and show that after almost three weeks in the job, he and his colleagues are already coming to their own conclusions rather than just those of their predecessors. In a confident address to SOLACE members at last week's senior managers conference, the Oldham MP and former GMB official said the last few weeks at the ODPM had been 'the most exhilarating of my professional life', adding that 'what has struck me has been the enthusiasm at the ODPM about what has been going on in local government'.
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