Last week, I chaired a conference on local government finance reform, and it prompted some deep thoughts about what localism really means, and how the sector has a key role in promoting economic growth.

If only ministers showed more trust in our ability to deliver. Listening to a number of chief executives from Birmingham and the Midlands who were in attendance, what struck me was that we can get caught up in discussions about local government and finance but, unless we get wholesale localisation and control of business rates, the impact is likely to be marginal. What really matters is the way local authorities work with local businesses to create the conditions for local growth.