Not for the first time this year - there is a new Prime Minister in Downing Street.
Rishi Sunak has taken over following the disastrous six-week premiership of Liz Truss with the economy in turmoil and a huge budget gap to fill. He has already spoken repeatedly of difficult decisions to come and that means spending cuts.
Local councils across the country, who have seen their budgets chopped away remorselessly over the past 12 years, will now be bracing themselves for what comes next.
