The Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) is engaged in ongoing research with Staffordshire and De Montfort Universities, exploring the spheres of influence of local councillors; the tensions between different models of decision making; the multiplicity of local government structures, tiers of governance and control, alongside the perceptions among councillors as to how they fit into these patterns of power, influence and, indeed, nuances of local governance.

Add to this mix the regular (some may say healthy) disruption of local elections and it's a messy and complex picture.