That's January done and New Year's resolutions are a distant memory for many of us, although I hope some may have persisted with dry January despite an overwhelming desire to drown our settlement sorrows.

Despite the fact that my council, along with 14 others in the country, will not only lose all revenue support grant in 2017/2018 and also end up with negative subsidy unless our lobbying is a success, I find myself in a surprisingly ebullient mood.