On 19th May I attended a one to one meeting with Eric Pickles in his offices. I was really pleased to be able to make a mark with the SoS only two days after taking over as the Leader of the Council. I had the standard 30 mins, half of which I used telling him about my focus on strong political leadership, localism, enterprise and fiscal responsibility. I was also able to tell him about some of our innovative work to deliver better value and more responsive transport solutions, support for business including access to finance and the enterprise zone and shared services with neighbouring and local councils.

The second half was about me getting a better understanding of his priorities and policy changes to help us better serve our communities. I was able to signal to him that Cambridgeshire is well placed to help lead this country out of recession and into growth.

Creating a working relationship with the SoS is important if we are to benefit as early adopters of initiatives.