Where is the devolution project heading? All the signs are that the city region-based Northern Powerhouse and Midlands Engine deals will continue (North East Combined Authority excepted), although whether they will develop to the extent which George Osborne intended is an open question.

But outside these areas, the prospects are more uncertain, as counties and districts struggle to reach agreement among themselves and with the Government as exemplified by the virtual collapse of the Greater Lincolnshire initiative.