There was a sprinkling of hope in the Autumn Statement for districts, with announcements of additional support for homelessness and the ability to charge a premium for major planning applications. The prospect of a decent settlement for next year has since been dashed, with a disappointing policy statement last week.

A little bit of welcome news was the confirmation of another holding year on New Homes Bonus. The overall increase in core spending power ‘at least 3%’ isn’t enough. A call for flexibility for districts to raise council tax by a higher referendum limit was not delivered, yet the Government’s Exceptional Financial Support framework makes the possibility of raising council tax above this a possibility where there is specific or evidenced concern.