Local government often opines it is seldom listened to by central government – an accusation with some merit. However the last few weeks have seen several key announcements that do suggest perhaps some of the messages from our member councils are cutting through after all.

The County Councils' Network (CCN) has received coverage across the national news highlighting the state of local government funding, and illustrating that our member authorities will need to outline £1bn more in new savings and cuts next year to balance their budgets, on top of eight years of austerity.