The MJ’s front page story on plans for a ‘traffic light’ system to grade councils’ financial stability last month faced a twitter backlash from local government. Eight years after Eric Pickles abolished the Audit Commission, the sector does not want to go back to a system of league tables – and it looks likely to be vocal.

It was a plan by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), to assess the financial resilience of councils across the country that sparked the story. Now, a full consultation on the ‘resilience index’ is out. As CIPFA members meet in Bournemouth for their annual conference, the index looks likely to be a hot topic.