As the dust settles on the local government finance settlement, it does appear there are many other ‘distractions’ to councils’ primary roles of place shaping and providing great public services.

These issues come from several quarters including local and central government, the media, local businesses and residents. Keeping a focus on what matters can be a difficult task when balancing issues such as combined authorities, alternative ways of delivering services, core strategy and new corporate strategy.

Local government does react well to these challenges and generally provides good services to all parts of the community. Yes, things do go wrong and responsibility for managing through those crisis situations is paramount in senior council roles.