As Mark Lloyd was announced as the new chief executive of the Local Government Association, his chairman, Cllr Gary Porter, has said he will spend the rest of the summer setting the priorities for the new incumbent. 

First on the agenda will be the cuts. The Treasury has asked the Department of Communities and Local Government – which is an unprotected department – to model 25% and 40% cuts. Or should that be more cuts – on top of the five-year squeeze the sector has already faced.