The seemingly endless austerity handed down to councils from central government doesn’t lend itself to fostering a creative mindset. Especially after so long a time, during which all the obvious ideas have already presented themselves. But the changing needs of an aging population, the rapid rise of technology, changes in the way we work, climate crisis, all demand new ideas that go way beyond simply putting more money back into the system. Faced with such relentless challenges and so few resources it would be easy to feel despair.

But for some councils austerity has proved to be the burning platform that is driving radical change. New ideas with revolutionary potential are out there, as are officers and politicians with the appetite and energy to convert those ideas into action on the ground.