At the recent Conservative Councillors Association conference, coffee cup chatter provoked some debate over the Office for Local Government (Oflog) proposals.

Many councillors were deeply concerned that this was a thinly veiled attempt to reintroduce the Audit Commission, with councils forced to dance to a tune on performance, set out-with their own local priorities. Moreover, the panels of ministers gave little away, but tacitly insisted that this was not about the Audit Commission make a come-back like Bobby Ewing returning in a shower.