Lesson one: don't fall into the first 'hit list' trap

THERE are mysteries; then there are unfathomable mysteries; finally, there is local authority budgeting. As an Edinburgh councillor for 12 years, with a first-class honours degree in economics, I burned the midnight oil while wading through inch-thick budget documents trying to reconcile columns of figures - mostly to no avail.

So I have a soft spot for the hundreds of new councillors throughout Scotland as they try to come to terms with their local authority's financial structure. In particular, I am lighting a candle for the new Lib Dem-SNP administration in Edinburgh, wh...