It will surprise no-one if I suggest that these are uncertain times: money disappearing faster than a Jamaican bob-sleigh team at the Winter Olympics; local-central relationships often needing the assistance of Relate; and chief executives wondering if they'll soon be joining the ranks of the Pembrokeshire Corgi.

And much, much more as Nigel Blackwell would say.

However, it is equally unsurprising that these are also certain times. As I mentally adjust in preparation for a new job, I am struck as much by the similarities as I am by the differences between the place I leave and the place I join.

Gaps of inequality exist as starkly in Solihull as they do in Birmingham (and, of course, in many other places around the country). Admittedly the scale and intensity are different. There are stark differences in both opportunity and outcomes for different individuals and communities – and eradicating them all remains central to our ongoing mission.

In this endeavour, there are also emerging certainties. In particular, an evidence base is building through the evaluation of initiatives such as community budgeting and troubled families that strongly suggests the concept of a ‘local treasury' has the potential to make a real difference to people's lives.

By bringing together all the resource expended in a place and delegating the commissioning of services to locally elected representatives and their key partners; by drawing on the reputation of councils as market leaders in efficiency and creativity; and by tapping into the undoubted talent pool that exists across local public services, we can continue to make an impact.

At SOLACE we are committed to a localism that is grounded firmly in a deep and wide understanding, and an intelligent prioritisation of the needs of the communities we serve.

The best councils do this brilliantly.  Similarly, we respect the mandate given by the electorate to our leaders and mayors to lead a total integration of the present system that citizens still have to navigate.

Government needs to have confidence and give us the tools of the job, as together we can deliver locality-based public sector reform that is owned, understood and life changing.

No one is saying it is going to be easy.  But, then again, that's another certainty that we're more than familiar with!

Mark Rogers is chief executive of Solihull MBC, chief executive designate of Birmingham City Council and president of SOLACE