Structural Reform of British Local Government


Book Description

"The book reviews the reasons for the reforms, the processes and outcomes in the three countries, and the nature of the evidence that was available for the advantages and disadvantages of reorganisation. Two chapters compare the prior assessments of the financial costs and benefits with the actuality, and the final chapter discusses some important lessons for national governance."--Jacket.







The Reformed Local Government System


Book Description

Originally published in 1973 and revised as a third edition in 1978, this book provides a concise introductory account of the system of local administration since the Local Government Act of 1972 produced the most-far-reaching change in England and Wales since 1888. The book shows why such a major shake-up was necessary, and how the policies evolved which produced the new pattern of local authorities. The book contains basic factual material about the constitution and powers of the new councils and discusses the major problems which confront them. It also considers the respective roles of councillors officials and the political circumstances within which local government has to work.




Principles for Local Government Legislation


Book Description

This study is designed to help local government practitioners in Pacific island countries review and strengthen their existing legislative and regulatory frameworks. It identifies best practice, examines case studies of Fiji, Solomon Islands and Samoa, and presents ten key principles for effective legislation.




The Strange Demise of the Local in Local Government


Book Description

This book challenges the notion that bigger local government is always better. Whilst the central government in Britain has often supported increases in local government size, the book argues that this has been detrimental, and has caused the erosion of distinctive community identities that were previously represented by local authorities empowered to make significant local choices about services and future strategy. Drawing from national and international evidence, it offers an alternative narrative about the size, role, function and purpose of local government to that currently dominating policy discussion. It aims to provide readers who oppose size increases in local government with the evidence and arguments to influence change in their areas. The book will appeal to policymakers working in central and local government, as well as academics interested in public policy, public administration and local government.




Politics, Planning and the City


Book Description

Politics, Planning and the City is designed to introduce the complex political processes and problems of the modern city. The author begins by setting the theoretical context and discusses models of democracy, power and the nature of policy. Next he examines change and the city, by focusing on actual decision-making. Three major policy areas affecting the city - housing, planning and the social services - are then reviewed and the post-war experiences analysed. The author concludes by discussing the consequences, intended and unintended, for the city adn asks whether city governments can cope with the future. This book was first published in 1980.




Models of Local Governance


Book Description

From 1979 to 1997 Britain was a laboratory for experiments in local governance as the control and delivery of local services was switched from elected councils to appointed boards (quangos), private companies or self-management. This book is about four models of local governance: the traditional 'localist' model, the New Right's 'individual' model, the New Left's 'mobilisation' model, and government's own 'centralist' model. It tests them against public opinion as expressed in 2203 interviews with ordinary citizens, 788 with councillors, and 902 with members of appointed boards.




Explaining local government


Book Description

Explaining local government, available at last in paperback, uniquely presents a history of local government in Britain from 1800 until the present day. The study explains how the institution evolved from a structure that appeared to be relatively free from central government interference to, as John Prescott observes, 'one of the most centralised systems of government in the Western world'. The book is accessible to A level and undergraduate students as an introduction to the development of local government in Britain but also balances values and political practice to provide a unique explanation, using primary research, of the evolution of the system.




Control and Power in Central-local Government Relations


Book Description

Published in 1999. Originally published in 1981, Control and Power in Central-Local Government Relations set out to provide a re-interpretation of central-local relations in Britain. The book reviewed the (then) existing literature; redefined the subject of intergovernmental relations (IGR); and developed a theory linking IGR to broader issues in the study of British Government. It rapidly became a classic in the study of local government. The link to broader issues what achieved through the power-dependence model and the focus on policy communities. The book underpinned the vast growth in the study of policy networks in British government. This revised edition includes four new chapters, two of which have been specially written. The new Preface traces the fortunes of the power-dependence model, commenting on and updating the individual chapters. A new part II continues the story. It contains a 1986 essay reviewing criticism of the original model (chapter 6); a 1992 article discussing unresolved issues in the study of policy networks (chapter 7); and a new chapter assessing where we are now in the study of networks. It argues, provocatively, for an ethnographic focus on traditions and narratives; on how individuals construct networks. The book remains essential reading for all students and academics concerned with the study of IGR and policy networks.




Local Government in England


Book Description

The book explores the claim that English local government exists in one of the most centralised relationships with national government. Such a position fundamentally undermines any notion of local self-government and makes the term ‘government’ in local government a misnomer. The book will examine how the erosion of the autonomy, powers, roles, functions and responsibilities of English local government came about, the arguments of centralisers and localisers to support their view of the constitutional status of local government, and its overall role in the government of England. The book offers an antidote to the onward march of centralisation by offering a new vision of local government which emphasises both ‘local’ and ‘government’.