Today, 23 councils and six mayors in England are up for election. Among rising global uncertainty – economically and politically – local leadership is more important than ever. The choices made are increasingly important, as local leadership may be the surest bet to demonstrate why political choices still matter.

Polling by Ipsos for the Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) ahead of today's local elections confirms local leaders are more trusted than either MPs or the Government. Local leaders are also considered as having the most impact over people's quality of life in their area: 59% of those surveyed considered local councils to have the biggest impact on the quality of life in their areas compared with 12% for Parliament.