Big numbers are often a good way to get the thinking juices running. Ahead of the November 26 Budget, the estimated annual expenditure of the UK state weighs in at a stonking £1.28 trillion, bloated by extra spending commitments of around £150bn a year that piled on during the pandemic and haven't been shed.
Set against this figure, councils in England currently spend £127bn each year on goods and services. As a strategic lever at local level, there really isn't anything to compare for anything as immediate in securing broad economic, social and environmental ends. Only strategic planning comes anywhere as close.
