For eight years now, the Local Government Challenge has searched for some of the best and brightest young officers in local government to take part in the sector's very own version of The Apprentice.

Run by the Local Government Association (LGA), and supported by The MJ, the 10 finalists are run through their paces at a series of events before launching their final bids for the coveted prize – the £10,000 Bruce Lockhart scholarship – at the LGA annual conference.