In my last The MJ column as chief executive of Swale BC, I thought I would address the minor issue of the state of our democracy.

Much has been said about how to interpret the EU referendum and the US presidential election. The typical narrative goes something like this: the way many voted was as a negative reaction to electoral elites who ignore them. So the response must be to ensure the public has greater influence over the way public services are run, and those services must be more responsive to their needs. This is then usually followed by some example of greater influence, such as co-designing the way a youth service or children's centre is run.