The city council in Sheffield, my home city, is consulting on its flood prevention strategy. In 2007 the city was hit by intense rainfall over a number of weeks and, eventually, with the soils saturated and the rivers full, the water spilled across and through the city. It was fatal, it was devastating for businesses and some homes were very badly damaged.

With temperatures set to plummet this weekend, local authorities are bracing themselves for more reports of potholes on their roads.

The issue of how councils pay for road repairs – not to mention insurance claims from aggrieved drivers – is a hardy perennial in town hall circles.