I hope the summer is giving all of us some time to recharge our batteries and, as importantly, reflect upon the strength and resilience that local government gives to our places.

As we turn our attention to what comes next, we need to keep in the forefront of our minds just how bad the forecast recession is and why. The 12-month growth rate for the Consumer Prices Index reached 9.1% in May 2022. Polls show over 70% of people saying their cost of living has increased in the last six months.