This volume was first published in 1979, just a few years after the Local Government Act of 1972 redrew the map of British local government. Local authorities were also encouraged to change their organization and methods of work; anxiety was expressed about finance, councillor 'calibre' and the credibility of the whole system itself; and neighbourhood councils and public participation in planning were introduced. John Dearlove's aim is to make sense of these changes and the discussion they generated. He does this by showing that both the official case for reorganization and the academic discussion of it have hindered their own understanding by uncritically accepting superficial traditional wisdoms which fail to reveal the concealed ideological positions behind reorganization. Thus, he aims to develop a truly political perspective on reorganisation which is rounded out and given greater depth by the insertion at appropriate points of comparative material drawn from American experience and studies.

English local government is in a state of decline after 40 years of incremental but cumulative centralisation by central government. This book is the first to directly address this trend's impact upon the institution of local government, a crucial element in the democratic viability of a unitary state. The process of centralisation, and its corrosive effect on the status and responsibilities of local government, have been widely recognised and deplored among politicians and senior officers within local government, and by academics with an interest in this field. However, there has been no study exploring in detail its impact, and, equally important, suggesting ways in which the growing imbalance between the powers of central and local government should be rectified. This book fills this gap. This text will be of key interest to scholars, students and practitioners of local government, and more generally to those interested in what has been happening to British politics and governance.

"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 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’.

Originally published in 1982, this book was the first comprehensive, critical assessment of the outcome of the controversial reorganisation of British local government outside London which took place between 1973 and 1975. The book deals with the new systems in England, Wales and Scotland, drawing upon the results of almost 100 in-depth interviews with leading members and officers from Shetland to Cornwall, from major cities to rural districts. Liaison between the tiers, the effects of corporate management, the spread of the office of chief executive, the increasing levels of partisanship and the changing face of central-local relations are examined on the basis of close observation and practical experience rather than theoretical preconceptions.

In this provocative new book, Peter Latham argues that the UK Conservative Government’s devolution agenda conceals their real intention: to complete the privatisation of local government and other public services. Using illustrative examples from across the UK, including the so-called ‘Northern Powerhouse’ and the Midlands, the book explains the far-reaching implications of the reorganisation of local government that is already affecting vital public services, including education, health, housing and policing. Proposing an overhaul of the taxation system to include land value taxation, a wealth tax and more progressive income tax to fund an increase in directly provided services, the author argues that a new basis for federal, regional and local democracy is vital.

Looking at the future of local government, this book examines the different changes, such as community charge and other financial changes, housing reforms, education reforms services, local democracy and other problems within the local government.