Inflation may have reached an inflection point, but councils are still grappling with the shock of historically high prices and reflecting on what lies ahead for their stretched budgets.

It has been an extended battle for local authorities in the face of a persistent foe. Last June, with inflation at 9%, the then chair of the Local Government Association (LGA) Cllr James Jamieson warned the impact on council services ‘could be disastrous'. Inflation ‘is not going to come down overnight', he said.