This is good news for a role that could easily be handed over to mayors. It will simplify our system, remove an unnecessary layer, and an unnecessary election.

There are not many arguments which I like less than 'nothing prevents people from paying more tax if they want to.' Public services, especially those available to everyone, are not funded by one or two people paying additional tax. They are funded by a broad tax base.

State pensions and the triple lock are a good example. There is no government savings pot set aside for either. Too many discussions are based on: - A non-existent government savings pot. - Taxes like National Insurance, which give the impression that the pot existed.

New measures to increase turnout are always welcome. However, we also need to roll back the damaging and unnecessary voter ID requirements brought in by Boris Johnson.

This all sits on top of an already complex council tax system. My biggest concern is that the government will shy away from the wide-scale reform we need and simply bolt new measures onto a system that is already broken.

UK taxes are high compared to previous years, but that means little when they remain lower than most Western European countries, even as we expect similar levels of public services. Growth matters, but we still need taxation to fund those services in the first place.

Both arguments have serious problems. - Cutting waste will not come close to fixing decades of cumulative under-funding for public services and future challenges. - A wealth tax will raise very little and instead we need a series of wealth taxes, including a Land Value Tax.