Welcome to 2024 – almost a quarter of a century into the millennium. We have a world of technology at our fingertips, more knowledge in our phones than we could ever have imagined and yet, despite the advances, local government strives to resolve so many of the same issues it has grappled with for decades.

There are some certainties in the year to come. There will be elections – local, general and by-elections. The political landscape will look different this time next year.