Public policy in the UK has an imagination problem. The endless cavalcade of tired debates about stagnant solutions not only limits the scope of our political discussion, but also embeds a culture of risk aversion which threatens to choke off the innovation we desperately need at a local level.

As details of the Spending Review begin to emerge, we are already seeing signs of the expected emphasis upon public service reform. This should be a hopeful moment – an opportunity for the Government to signal its support for imaginative thinking and more test-and-learn initiatives to support innovators and risk-takers.