Solace, and local government more widely, have long argued for the need to invest in early intervention and prevention. The past decade was littered with reports demonstrating the value of investing in wicked problems upstream, from the Marmot Review to last week's independent review of children's social care.

It is no surprise to see councils at the forefront of this argument. Local government's core purpose has been to put out fires before they start. In our expanding Victorian cities this meant public health, sanitation and creating a clean, reliable water supply, expanding over the decades to put councils at the heart of the early welfare system through local hospitals and education.