Local government reform in Great Britain

Abstract

Local government remains in a state of flux in Great Britain. Currently being “modernised” by the New Labour Government, it has been subject to radical programmes of reform for most of the last twenty years. The reform programmes of the Conservative (1979–1997) and New Labour (1997-) Governments are the focus of this chapter which will examine the kinds of reform strategy introduced by these governments, their goals legitimacy (democratic renewal), efficiency (reducing costs) and effectiveness (improving services/outcomes), and their consequences for localities. The strategies of the different administrations will be considered separately and then together in order to highlight the key themes and identify the continuities and differences in the two periods. Finally the chapter will consider the impact of contextual and structural factors on central government’s capacity to deliver reform to and through local government paying particular attention to the fact that Great Britain has no codified constitution.