What happens when the anti-establishment take control? As we approach the next set of local elections – expected to be the last for many of the counties as they disappear into a new unitary structure – and the hype builds over the chances of Reform making gains, it is a key consideration.

Predicting elections has, in the past decade, become an increasingly pointless task. Between the fractured national parties and the plethora of local issues, there is only one certainty: local elections are not a glorified opinion poll on the popularity of the national party leaders.