As the nation crawls towards polling day on 4 July, it is little surprise neither Labour nor the Conservatives have concluded that anything that even hints at raising revenue from the public risks electoral suicide.

While Labour remains reticent about mentioning pretty much anything that sounds like a tax rise and the Conservatives place practically all their focus on tax cuts, many in local government will be hoping for greater freedom and flexibility following the General Election so at least some local tax rises or higher charges can be introduced to keep crumbling services going. Most of the sector would prefer to see adequate funding coming direct from Whitehall but they're not silly…