All too often in recent years, the debate around community empowerment, Big Society, localism and the future of local government and public services has overlooked or merely scratched the surface of the role of local – parish and town – councils.

While successive government's have aimed – successfully, in some instances, less so in others – to set out a vision, policy framework and series of tools and levers to develop the potential of our first tier of local government, there tends to be a feeling that more could be done.