This is a tense time in town halls. Hot on the heels of the Autumn Statement, cash-strapped councils are still waiting to see if there are any surprises for them in the finance settlement, due in a couple of weeks time. But one trend that is emerging needs very careful consideration.

By this I mean the option of reducing the number of councillors as a cost saving exercise. After all most councils have reduced the number of staff considerably so shouldn't the same consideration apply to elected members? But that logic fundamentally misunderstands the role and potential of local councillors.