The UK is facing some stark skills shortages, exacerbated by Brexit. And, as a result of the pandemic, many of the foreign nationals we have relied upon over the past decades to fill important roles that keep the economy moving have returned home. We are struggling to replace them with home-grown labour that either doesn’t have the skills or the interest in some of the more mundane but necessary jobs in a functioning society.

For local government this means many of the services it provides are struggling to recruit and retain workers to provide care, feed people or ensure the cleanliness of facilities and areas. For these services they are in a real battle with supermarkets and retail distributors, who are prepared to pay more for often simpler job roles. This is an increasingly uphill struggle.