There is a lot of blue and yellow around at the moment – and it is nothing to do with Spring unless you think a convoy of Russian tanks trampling over Ukraine is a harbinger of the change in the seasons.

The two shades are everywhere and on everything: government buildings, theatres, offices, shops and, yes pets, as people try to find a way of showing solidarity over the plight of Ukrainians battling to resist the Russian incursion.

Does this make a difference? In one sense, no. You can't imagine that the Russian leader Putin lies awake in bed at night in a heightened state of anxiety over the numbers of tweets bearing the colours of Ukraine.

The idea that festooning images on social media and bathing buildings in yellow and blue is going to effect a Russian retreat is fanciful to say the least.

Both sides of the argument were played out in a debate over whether a production of Madame Butterfly by the Russian State Opera company, which had been due to take place next week at the Tunbridge Wells Assembly Hall, should be cancelled.

The dispute started when a Conservative councillor in Tunbridge Wells suggested it should not take place. The argument was that if the show went ahead, the theatre and the council which runs it would somehow be seen as endorsing the Russian attempt to take over Ukraine.

It takes a leap of some considerable distance to imagine that the Kremlin was perturbed by the decision to cancel the show.

The council initially seemed prepared to man the defences and allow the production to go ahead but eventually capitulated as it became clear that it was swimming against the tide of public opinion.

And to mark its change of heart, it announced that the Assembly Hall would be lit up in the colours of Ukraine just as soon as it could be arranged.

Meanwhile, Kent County Council joined in, announcing that it would be flying the flag of Ukraine from the top of County Hall, to demonstrate its own solidarity with the country.

These gestures may seem to be little more than political confetti but you can be sure that if they weren't being made, there would be complaints and protests.

More seriously, the ripples from the conflict are beginning to give rise to concerns closer to home. After resettlement schemes for displaced Afghanistan and Syrian refugees, councils won’t want to resist offering to help Ukrainian refugees should they be asked to.

Meanwhile, councils are getting increasingly anxious about the government's failure to give some clarity over how they are expected to administer a council tax rebate to help those struggling to meet their bills.

A cross-party committee of MPs says the £150 rebate, designed to cushion the impact of rising energy prices, has left councils with a financial headache.

KentOnline recently revealed how tens of thousands of households across the county who did not pay their council tax by direct debit would not automatically receive the discount.

Several councils said they were waiting for guidance from the government – with just weeks to go before bills are set to go out.

But there has not, as yet, been guidance. Now MPs on the Levelling Up select committee have echoed concerns about how the scheme will work. With just weeks to go before bills are sent out, the issue of exactly how discounts are to be given to those who don't pay by direct debit has, as yet, not been resolved.