A couple of weeks ago I wrote in this column about the need for stronger mechanisms to scrutinise and assess the impact of local-government spending decisions.

Of course, the same could undoubtedly be also said for central government – a view confirmed by last week by a report from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which found that the Government had failed to fully consider the impact on vulnerable people of major decisions such as the housing benefit cap, the abolition of the Education Maintenance Allowance, and the scrapping of the Bus Service Operator's Grant.