Local government minister David Miliband's much-anticipated June White Paper draws ever nearer, without many clear signals about what to expect. What form will Double D (double devolution) take?

For the neighbourhoods' agenda, there are some real challenges. Local government has been running area forums, ward sub-committees, local partnerships and, in Birmingham's case, real devolution constituencies – for some time. If we are honest, most of this has not lived up to the rhetoric.