But Dr Whiteman, from the Institute of Local Government Studies, said it was "disingenuous to the people of Hampshire".

BBC: Council leader Ken Thornber

Anyway, after swearing I'd never do another exam again and somehow gaining a degree in French from Leeds, there I was last-minute swotting yet again, only this time on law and local government studies.

BBC: East Midlands

The profit motive has never been a comfortable bed fellow with government, either central or local, as the official blog of the University of Birmingham's Institute for Local Government Studies (INLOGOV) points out.

BBC: Midlands councils go into business to offset grant cuts

The ESC's studies also included fire and accident trends from the Department of Communities and Local Government and data on the number of high risk electrical items in homes from the Department of Energy and Climate Change.

BBC: 'Blunder' fires increasing say Electrical Safety Council