In the past few weeks, I have chaired several roundtables and had discussions with various insiders about the likely pattern of the next Spending Review, which will lay out plans for the four years from 2015/2016.

There has been no clear, single answer, largely because no-one knows, but there is a consensus that (a) things won't get better; (b) there is a danger that having made cuts this time round, local government will be an easy target for ministers looking for more; (c) upper-tier councils are having to plan future budgets without knowing the Government's policy for adult care funding – basically, because it hasn't got one; and (d) even before we get to the Spending Review there are concerns about council tax benefit localisation and rising demand on school places next year.