Centralisation, Devolution and the Future of Local Government in England (PDF)

By: Steve Leach and John Stewart and George Jones

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Synopsis: English local government is in a state of decline after forty years of incremental but cumulative centralisation by central government. This book is the first to directly address this trend's impact on the institution of local government, a crucial element in the democratic viability of a unitary state. The process of centralisation, and its corrosive impact 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, suggested 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.