It's that time of year again when the snowdrops fade, the daffs start to emerge, the days get longer – and councils have to spend their leftover budgets quick before 5 April.

You can always tell 'cos suddenly the pavements get a facelift so you can actually walk on them without twisting yer ankle on a cracked slab and falling flat on your boatrace, the potholes vanish after months of knackering every big end that goes over 'em, and the streets get a new coating of tarmac, though of course, it'll blow away by the summer.