The new coalition government's ministers for communities & local government and the environment announced so far will all be Conservatives, with right-winger Eric Pickles as communities secretary and agriculture expert Caroline Spelman as environment secretary.
Mr Pickles is best remembered in local government for his controversial reforms at Bradford City Council in the 1980s. More recently he has been party chairman.
Unconfirmed press reports suggest he will introduce a Bill to be announced in the Queens' speech to axe regional development agencies, housing targets and regional strategies, replace chief executives with elected officials and push for yet more elected mayors in all major cities.
Mr Pickles will be supported by Greg Clark as minister for decentralisation and Grant Shapps as minister for housing.
Mrs Spelman was shadow communities secretary, but the move to DEFRA will represent a move back to her agriculture specialty.
Her work before entering politics included being deputy director of the International Confederation of European Beetgrowers in Paris and she is an accomplished linguist.
She will be supported by James Paice as minister of state.
