2019 began the way 2018 ended, with our national decision-makers mired in the complexities and controversies of Brexit, with little time for matters of domestic policy.

Add to this the likely effects of a no-deal Brexit on our city economies, a Spending Review that is forecast to be extremely tough and a chancellor who appears not to have got the ‘austerity is over' memo, and you can forgive Core City UK leaders and mayors for not feeling entirely positive about the coming year.