A couple of weeks ago I was invited to join a panel at the annual conference of the Association of Democratic Service Officers. My fellow panel members and I were asked a series of insightful and challenging questions by officers from member and electoral service teams across the country.

They were clearly exercised by the impact of austerity and Brexit on their organisations and the places they serve, and the spectre of forced local government reorganisation loomed large, despite assurances that all future proposals will require unanimity.