As people up and down the country ponder their ‘new year’s resolutions’, we in local government are looking forward with ‘new year’s resolve’. 2015 will see the next chapter of several crucial debates, including devolution, the General Election and the Spending Review.

We are already seeing cities taking up George Osborne’s ‘open door’ invitation on devolution, such as the deal in South Yorkshire last month. Across the country we are seeing groups of councils thinking about how this could be done – through combined authorities, for example. The City Growth Commission has even reported that the UK’s top 15 metro areas could add almost £80bn to the economy by 2030.

But, non-metropolitan areas cannot be left behind. The recent commission chaired by Sir John Peace notes that non-metropolitan areas are engines of economic growth, making up around half of England’s economy and population.