No-one would pretend that local government is having the easiest time of it at the moment. Not only are leaders and chief executives grappling with the most punishing cuts to grant in living memory, but some supermarket tried to pin the blame for the horsemeat scandal on councils – not with any justification, mind you, but another headache nonetheless.

However, it is not an unremittingly gloomy picture, for there are some positive changes which are now only weeks away from implementation. For the first time in many decades, local government is about to play a significant role in the health landscape once again.