As the sector prepares to make its case with Whitehall about the future of local services at the forthcoming Society of Local Authority Chief Executives' annual Summit next month, Dr Martin Reeves puts forward his vision for the future.

Local government is doing just fine. After nearly a decade of austerity, public satisfaction with local services remains high while public finances have remained tighter for longer than we were expecting. But, if local authorities just dig a bit deeper for efficiencies, we will manage.