When someone asks you ‘what keeps you awake at night’, in a role such as a chief finance officer (CFO), it can really make you think.

The answer often depends on the most immediate crises that are in front of you; so it would be no surprise if you heard me or any of my colleagues talking about inflation, or the immediate and longer-term impact that the war in Ukraine may have both directly and indirectly on our service provision. We would also be talking about the cost of living impact for local residents as well as our own financial wellbeing as a council or the impending changes to adult social care and the myriad of associated financial risks. There is also undeniable uncertainties around the future of local government financing and when we might even find out what the timetable for change will be.