I've always liked autumn – the end of the blazing summer sunshine, splashing through leaves, the shorter days making home and hearth just that little bit cosier.  And of course, in recent years, the unparalleled joys of party conference season.

Localis is, as usual, doing the full set of conferences, running seven events this year in Glasgow, Brighton and then Manchester.  Some are private – including a trilogy on the future of local authority pension funds – but there are also three public fringe events at which it would be great to see MJ readers.