Michael Howard's election defeat proved an unusual morsel of welcome news for the government's design watchdog. The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) was among a raft of government bodies lined up for a Tory bonfire of quangos. To succumb to an incoming Conservative government would have seemed rough justice. After all, the past year has seen CABE bloodied but unbowed after undergoing its own trial by fire. Still in its relative infancy, the commission has helped bring design and architecture more into the public eye than ever before. However, two rigorous investigations following accusations of conflicts of interest among its leading lights have left their mark on its reputation. While supporters point to CABE'S undeniable achievements, its detractors have dubbed it a modernist cabal. 'Under new management' signs have been nailed up.
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