Councils are once again being told to start living within their means and focus on the basics, with the government releasing details of its long-awaited rates cap. Instead of a fixed cap, the government has opted to go with a target band between two and four percent, to be enforced by a regulator. Councils can appeal to go higher, but the government's already warning that would only be for the most exceptional of circumstances. Political reporter Giles Dexter spoke to Lisa Owen.