As I prepare to hand over the chairmanship of the Local Government Association (LGA) to David Sparks next week in Bournemouth, one thing is clear – local government can be confident in its future.

It's by working together that we have told a better story about local government. 77% of people trust their local council more than Government to make decisions about services in their local area – up 7% on six months before. And working with LGA leadership, members and officers has helped to make us and our work relevant to member councils.