You may not have seen it in on the news, consumed as it is at the moment with Brexit and the Conservative Party leadership election, but last week a positive and important event occurred in the House of Lords. Most satisfying of all, it came from local government, with leaders from very different places setting aside their parochial interests and coming together for the common good.

The event in question was the launch of the Western Powerhouse. This new partnership will bring together two countries and seven cities on either side of the Severn to promote the economic, social and environmental opportunities of the Western part of the UK. It will fill in a missing part of the jigsaw, complementing the Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Connect.