I was up bright and early this morning at 6am to tuck into my coffee and cereal before tackling the next load of emails. I left the house at 730am to catch the 8:16 train into London to attend my first meeting of the CCN.

It was great to meet with fellow leaders of county councils to hear how they are dealing with the issue of reduced funding and increased demands on services. When you listen to our very own Lib Dems, in Shire Hall, you would think that we are the only council struggling. We are not.

I pressed the case for a more robust lobbying role for the CCN in dealing with government. I also challenged how big was the CCN bite. Interestingly, at coffee break I was mobbed by a number of other leaders who totally agreed with my proposals. It felt like I had started a mutiny by asking the difficult questions. The rest of the meeting was much more focussed on outcomes.

At least they know who I am and that Cambridgeshire is on the map and making a difference.