Local government is no stranger to the iron grip that Whitehall maintains on funding. There has always – across all Governments – been a tendency to drip feed rations to councils, with conditions, caveats and a lack of trust.

The recent Levelling Up Fund round two became farcical. Last year's Towns Fund was branded ‘the hanging basket fund' by one local government wag, yielding barely more than a few petunias in exchange for a lengthy bidding process.