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Someone asked me last week if life was busy. I said it felt like the storm before the lull. I won't be alone among those of us working in politically-led organisations – locally and nationally – in feeling that. In London, we have all-out elections on 6 May, so March is just about the final, furious month of activity before political leaders and candidates go into formal campaign mode. Added to that, of course, there may well be a simultaneous national campaign, or one that comes just before or just after. I realise, deep down, that I am deceiving myself when I talk about that anticipated lull come April for those of who serve as officials. It will, I suspect, be a time for more briefing documents, options papers and scenario planning to be ready for when the elections are done. Thinking about that made me recall that at one point in my career, I had the opportunity of contributing to those much-fabled briefing documents for incoming secretaries of state, following a general election. These were painstakingly pulled together for the different possible outcomes of the poll. They will be being written again now, or at least, soon. While one should never let opinion polls influence us unduly, it might reasonably be said that the briefers will have a higher degree of uncertainty about which of their documents will end up in the first post-election red box than at any time for almost 20 years. The core message about the scale of the challenge to be faced will be the same. And while tough times can have the effect of limiting viable options on how to proceed – regardless of party – there is, I think, still some very distinctive messages which different parties and different politicians will be offering when they knock on doors over coming weeks. I believe that is true locally as well as nationally. Yes, the scope for difference in how local services are run can be more constrained. Yes, the themes of a national campaign can crowd out what is being argued over locally. But there is real scope for competing visions of how a locality or a neighbourhood should move forward, as well as for a country. It came home to me at the recent launch of London Councils' Manifesto for Londoners. Each of our main party group leaders set out how their respective parties would seek to use the prize we are seeking, of greater devolution and more local democratic influence over a wider range of public services. Part of the rationale for that localist argument is, of course, better for less. But it is also about making the space for those competing local visions to be meaningful, and real in the eyes of those making local electoral choices. John O'Brien is chief executive of London Councils.

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WHITEHALL

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