Why would a leader face a no-confidence vote, or resign of their own volition? Leaving aside any hitherto unimagined scandals, there are two major reasons: a lack of MP support, or a failure to make progress against Labour.
Their financial failure is making the delivery of even basic services patchy or non-existent, with dreadful customer service.
It is difficult to predict how Reform will do in the next local elections. On one hand they won only two councillors this May. On the other hand in 2014 when UKIP were at their peak they won 17 per cent of the vote and 166 councillors.
Kingstanding was once known as the largest council estate in Europe and is one of the ten per cent most deprived Council Wards in the country, yet for decades it has been ignored and let down by the Labour Party.
It can be transformative for young people, their families, their communities and – by creating a better skilled workforce – the wider economy too.
Skills shortages are directly linked to transport shortages. It is possible that better transport connections linking our small towns to our major cities could do more for productivity and employment than almost any other initiative.
Meanwhile, the general public is also mobilising against council cuts. Backed by the city’s Conservative councillors, they are getting ready to fight their corner.
Rewarding financially incontinent local authorities, with the consequent demotivating effects on work for their residents, is a road to ruin.
Given more control and fairer settlements, councils could cut local taxes, back small businesses, and invest in preventative social services. Ultimately, power would rest with communities to kick out wasteful councillors and reward the prudent.
The key problem is stagnation. Margaret Thatcher’s reforms promoted mobility and opportunity. Now we are an economy which doesn’t change enough.
Secret documents have included termination arrangements with officers and reports from external solicitors into scandalous failings in the service provided to children with special needs.
One option would be to impose a lower cap, or even a freeze, on council tax rises for councils who haven’t published at least draft accounts. After all, should they be asking for yet more cash from hard-pressed households when they won’t even say how they’re spending it?
The Prime Minister’s proposals for Euston provide the key: a new partnership with business to draw up a new, viable plan for a 21st-century railway between Birmingham and Manchester.
This perhaps reflects the fact that with the Speech happening on 7th November, there will be little actual time for legislation in the final session of Parliament in any case.