It's safe to say there is plenty of excitement about events long postponed during the worst of the pandemic now finally taking place, but I'm not sure the same emotions are felt by local government colleagues for the Spending Review taking place this month.

While this is the first three-year Spending Review to take place in several years, the impact of COVID on the public purse and predictions – from the likes of the Institute for Fiscal Studies – on how much would be available to unprotected departments have led to some pessimism in the County Councils' Network's (CCN) membership.