The track record for Pickles and Blunkett when it comes to reducing the loss of funds to schools and preventing public bodies (such as schools)from spending money on unnecessary publications is very clear. The speech was made by Blunkett when he was Education Secretary and the text above that was prepared by Pickles who as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government offered a Christmas gift to local government in 2012 which comprised of 50 recommendations for saving public money as he sought to justify the austerity cuts that were beginning to bite. The text above was suggestion 35.

Neither of these comments are intended to surprise anyone and indeed a few years later Eric made this statement “State bodies need to do far more to stamp out corruption and restore public confidence. It was local residents who lost out from the crooked politicians who bullied them and wasted their money.” Eric Pickles 2016

The truth however is that Eric and David share an interest in a private company called The Parliamentary Review which they are joint Chairmen of. As this article explains the company which has made substantial sums of money from organisations that have been willing to advertise who they are in the review, has targeted businesses, charities and schools asking them to pay several thousand pounds to be included in the glossy brochure. In doing so the organisations including the schools which are publicly funded have been induced to divert the money intended for pupils to instead pay the business which has created events that keep these two men and a number of their colleagues, very comfortable in social terms. One wonders if one day they will recall their previous statements and admit to their mistakes? Of course by then it will be too late to return the money to the schools, charities and even businesses!