In an undated letter via Jeremy Hunt on 3^rd February Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, says “My officials have now sent a reply to Mr Webb’s previous correspondence, along with  a profuse apology for the long delay in replying.” Except that so far – they haven’t.  

He sends  the Accountability System Statement for Local Government produced by his Department’s accounting officer and part-time permanent secretary, Sir Bob Kerslake who in earlier correspondence did not impress on the financial and management front.  

Further evidence to come needs to be assessed but on a first read through that Accountability statement is strongly characterised as incomplete and unformed and strongly reminiscent of the government's protestations of "transparency" which turn out in practice to mean access to lifeless mass data with no address, purposeful proposal or decisive vote.