In Sergio Leone's timeless western, three gunslingers hunt for buried gold amid a harsh, unforgiving landscape. Today, our local authorities find themselves in an equally desperate search for the resources to drive growth and climate action simultaneously.

The question we face is whether the Government's devolution plans — including the Devolution Priority Programme — will be the map to buried treasure or just another false trail leading nowhere, particularly as 30 councils across England now require Exceptional Financial Support (EFS).