Such opportunities should not be wasted or delayed, which officers must recognise, respecting the new political reality and not giving the impression of being overly cautious or ‘hankering back’ to the previous administration. Managed disruption can be positive.

It is important for political groups (or alliances of more than one party that find themselves forming an administration) to act quickly, while concurrently preparing for at least a four-year tenancy. That said, it is also vital for both politicians and senior council officers to avoid being swept along in flurry of politically charged emotion. Calm thoughtful planning is essential.

When the election has led to no one single political party having a majority, calmness is even more important.

Hopefully the majority or largest group will have had an election manifesto, even if some of the detail is lacking. Where there is no manifesto or where a coalition is formed, it will clearly be more challenging for the political groups, their leaderships and senior council officers.