What is the future for local government? This was the question I and others set out to debate when we recently convened a round table event for local authority chief executives. We posed the question ‘What will local government look like in 2020?' and tried to move beyond the ‘just surviving' debate to one that captured both the value and values that local government brings to a place.

With new regional arrangements progressing in various places and at variable speeds, we all recognised that more than ever councils were now grappling with even more complex local and regional relationships. So the need for clear, collaborative community leadership in a place is now critical to ensuring a sustainable future; local government remains uniquely placed to deliver this leadership.