While the party conferences may have dominated the national media, the focus on taxes and the minutiae of new Prime Minister Liz Truss' leadership left local government – and everyone else – in the dark over the future political direction. But there were some hints of what may lie ahead – aside from the inevitable austerity of a low-tax economy.

First is the question of levelling up. It was conspicuous by its absence in the mini-Budget, with the agenda shifting away from a focus on driving economic growth in the ‘left-behind' areas and towards a ‘growth for all' mindset epitomised by investment zones.