The Local Government Association welcomed chief secretary to the Treasury, Liz Truss, at its annual finance conference earlier this week. It was a timely opportunity to remind those who hold the nation's purse strings that the role of local government is critical to ensuring the nation's future health and prosperity in advance of the Spending Review that will soon take place.

Positive incentives to grow the economy, reduce demand for services, innovate and focus on solving problems rather than managing caseloads should be the watchwords as we embark on other far-reaching changes to the local government finance landscape.