As many readers will be aware, at LGiU we collaborate with The MJ every year on a survey of local government finance. We ask every leader, chief executive, cabinet member for finance and chief finance officer about their budgets, what they are doing with council tax, how services are affected and how confident they do – or more pertinently, do not – feel in the sustainability of the funding system.

You will have read the results of the survey, but the headlines will have come as little surprise: a large majority of councils putting council tax up as far as they can, virtually all of them increasing charging, two-thirds dipping into their reserves (year after year). Eight out of 10 had little or no confidence in the sustainability of the system.