As the Government attempts the brave high-wire act of reconfiguring public services – balancing the unreasonable weight of public expectations against the vast and complex reality of public provider interests, above a dizzying drop of awesome deficit-reduction targets – a plucky Margaret Hodge recently raised the key issue.

Grilling the new head of the civil service – DCLG permanent secretary, Sir Bob Kerslake – on the future of public accountability, the no-nonsense chair of the public accounts committee honed in on academy schools as an illustrative example of devolved services.