The Local Government Association is characteristically railing against Whitehall plans for an Office for Local Government (Oflog) – reluctant to see a return to the days of the Audit Commission.

And who can blame them? Given the standards of the outgoing political regime, is the current Government best placed to judge anybody else’s ability? Considering the errors and waste across Whitehall, are civil servants in a position to lecture on efficiency? And in the final years of the Audit Commission, as it expanded uncontrollably, an expensive industry grew from the inspection regime. The watchdog became less about improvement and more about ticking boxes before its abrupt demise.