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But the reality is there are not many contests this year, not least because some have been postponed because of an imminent shake-up in local government structures in some places.

It also provides opportunity for a shake-up of the competitive order, which is often regarded as a positive.

The last major shake-up was under the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government, when a "bonfire of the quangos" scrapped nearly a third of them, including the Audit Commission and the UK Film Council.

But he did confirm that the government was looking to shake-up the energy market, which he said could involve "zonal pricing and reformed national pricing".

Although she eventually lost her case, it started a chain reaction, which led to a shake-up of gender services for children and young people.