The letter on councils’ productivity, sent by local government minister Simon Hoare this week, begs a key question: didn’t anyone point out the irony?

Hoare’s claim that he was ‘not looking to impose excessive burdens’ or force upon town halls a ‘formal template’ for reporting, rapidly followed by a request for a three to four-page update, and an excessively detailed list of 51 questions, borders on farcical.