Whatever one's views of the EU referendum result, local government needs to be at the heart of the debate about what a post-Brexit Britain looks like and there cannot be a default assumption that any powers that are repatriated to the UK from Brussels will automatically transfer to Whitehall.

Within this context it is encouraging that over the past year we have witnessed considerable progress in relation to the agreement of devolution deals around the country. This is resulting in more powers in key policy areas such as transport, skills and health, as well as specific local priorities such as culture and tourism, being devolved to local communities.