Profile - Eric Pickles

As spending cuts loom over town hall budgets, the first of a new series of 'Profile' focuses on the man who will wield the axe: Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles. His bluff northern charm has won him many admirers as well as adversaries throughout a political career that began in Bradford Council more than thirty years ago. But critics say as leader of Bradford City Council he championed swingeing spending cuts and outsourcing of services. Reporter Gerry Northam speaks to friends and foes of the man once dubbed the 'Beast of Bradford' and asks how he will handle his responsibilities on the national stage. Producer Andy Denwood.