It has become a strange trait of mine to flick through the local newspaper to check I'm not in it. As a councillor, you are always mindful of any story or letter printed in the local press as you need to be aware of issues that might be raised on the doorstep.

However, that week in June 2016 I knew what I was looking for. It was the reporting of ‘widespread, serious failings' in our children's services department. The Ofsted report highlighted numerous systemic failings, and the Department for Education (DfE) had decided a commissioner, the formidable Frankie Sulke, should oversee our services.