It seems no time at all since I last sat down in the midst of a General Election campaign to pen my monthly column for The MJ. Despite a palpable and growing frustration from some voters that they are being asked to go to the polls for the third time since 2015, and on this occasion so close to Christmas, the paralysis that inevitably stymies any Government without a working majority meant, sooner rather than later, an election was unavoidable.

Many readers will have already been subjected to their fair share of pre-election stunts and spin, and yet, at the time of writing, only the Greens and Liberal Democrats have published their manifestos. As for my own party, September's Spending Round and last month's Queen's Speech both gave strong indications as to what we can expect under a future Conservative Government. The headline announcements of 20,000 additional police officers, more funding for our schools and NHS, not to mention an ambitious suite of environmental reforms, are to be warmly welcomed, but where does local government fit in?