Over the next fortnight or so, those councils that haven’t already done the dread deed will sign off service cuts and budgets based on this year’s much-reduced local government grants. Councils must set budgets by March.

We have Barnet and Norfolk tomorrow, controversial Lancashire later in the week, Liverpool early in March, Leeds towards the end of February and most of the rest along the way. I’ve yet to hear of a council that has refused to set a budget, so – barring spectacular results at the many protests that are planned in the next two weeks – these budgets and cuts will be set. Hope I’m wrong.

I’ve spent a lot of time talking to people who use (Tory) Lancashire county council services and are extremely concerned about that council’s plans to cut and/or charge for adult and children’s care services.

They feel the cuts to those services are disproportionate. Lancashire has a staggering £110m in reserves (the seventh highest in the country – Essex is first with reserves of £200m), but will cut £179m from service budgets over the next three years. Eligibility criteria for adults who need care services will be tightened and children’s care respite services closed. The GMB says that council will cut 6000 jobs – a claim of a monumental cull that the council has rubbished so far, without making an alternate announcement.

All this with £10b in council reserves nationwide and nary a peep out of Labour about forcing councils to part with some of the stash to avoid this astounding frontloading. I’m writing a longer article on all of this at the moment.