Local Government Today

Local Government Today provides a comprehensive analysis of the structure, finance, management and democratic framework for local government in Britain. This new edition has been substantially rewritten to encompass the many changes to the structure and function of the system since 2000, including developments flowing from the 2007 Local Government Act. The study discusses how, during the Blair years, local governments came to be seen once again as centrally important institutions within Britain’s political system. However, they are not seen as organisations that can function as separate agencies, undertaking all their duties ‘in-house’. They are now required to work in partnership with the private, public and voluntary sectors to deliver local services and represent local interests.It is further argued that for the first time in over a century, the barriers between civil servants and senior local government officers are being eroded as central government begins to incorporate leading local government officials into its decision-making processes. The study retains its comparative focus by showing how the British system differs from the structures for local governance in Western Europe and the United States. The unique form of the British system has the consequence that, whilst local authorities may have unprecedented access to central decision-making, this is not reflected in a capacity to involve citizens at the level of local communities into becoming active in, or enthused by, the system.