One of my favourite facts is that Alfred Wainwright was a borough treasurer (Kendal) and famous for his pictorial guides to the 214 Lake District fells. I recently visited the Lakes and started to think about what an amazing guide he left. That got me thinking what legacy are we treasurers leaving – maybe not a pictorial guide but top tips of how to scale the annual challenge of budget-setting.

First, you need to have the right kit, a map and know the conditions throughout the day. A capable finance team, with the capacity and data, is important, as is a leadership team and administration who really understand and sign up to the scale of the task.