When the Budget landed, it may not have had as much cash for local government as it would have wanted, but there was plenty of interest in the small print. One line confirmed The MJ exclusive from the previous week – that Government is planning local government reorganisation.

In the past, the mere utterance of the word ‘reorganisation' has sent local government into a frenzy of self-preservation – a battleground between counties and districts, fighting for their existence. Sure enough, the District Councils' Network (DCN) came out with its rifles raised, claiming the policy was ‘the opposite of devolution' and ‘the last thing the country and our local communities need'.