Local government faces a triumvirate of important announcements in the coming months which will have major ramifications for its role, responsibilities and resources in the short, mid and long-term.

By the end of October, the chancellor should have announced the findings of a three-year Spending Review, setting out the UK's priorities for public spending. At present, spending departments are submitting proposals to the Treasury as to how they intend to tackle a raft of public policy conundrums as well as deliver public services over the period to meet need. The Treasury's role is to identify synergy across Government priorities to maximise the spending of limited resources.