On the face of it, the Spending Review was a surprise. Far from being a massive cut to the £4tn public spending over the next five years which pundits predicted, it looks more like a spending spree. It's perhaps not surprising, in hindsight, that George Osborne made late adjustments to neuter his critics by providing more money for health, education, police, the armed forces, housing, childcare and the removal tax credits. But for local government and other so-called ‘unprotected departments', the cuts will be even deeper. Even where new money is being found, such as for social care, it will not keep pace with demand.

There is also a presumption that digital transformation will be the key to reform and modernisation across the public sector. There is more said about the central role of IT than I have seen in any preceding budget statement. While the examples are about the Civil Service, the implication is clear that health, local government, police and social care must also embrace digital operating models.