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Local Government Reform In Britain 1997–2001: National Forces and International Trends

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 March 2014

Michael Cole
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Abstract

This article considers the origins of the local government reform agenda of the 1997 to 2001 Labour government. The analysis identifies a wide range of factors including recurring themes in the debate about local government, market mechanisms, Labour Party politics, the traditions of the British state, the constitutional reform agenda and the international context. This study also develops the notion of shifting constraints to explain this process and the agenda of the current Labour administration.

Type
Articles
Information
Government and Opposition , Volume 38 , Issue 2 , 2003 , pp. 181 - 202
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2003.

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References

1 See, for example, John Tomaney, ‘End of the Empire State?: New Labour and devolution in the United Kingdom’, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 24:3 (2000), pp. 675–88.

2 From 1918 until their abolition in 1948 some of the university parliamentary constituencies used the Single Transferable Vote (STV).

3 See, for example, Paul McQuail and Katy Donnelly, ‘English Regional Government’, in Robert Blackburn and Raymond Plant (eds), Constitutional Reform: The Labour Government's Constitutional Reform Agenda, London, Longman, 1999, pp. 264–81.

4 See, for example, Steve Leach, ‘Introducing Cabinets into British Local Government’, Parliamentary Affairs, 52:1 (1999), pp. 77–93; and Michael Cole, ‘Local Government Modernisation: The Executive and Scrutiny Model’, The Political Quarterly, 72:2 (2001), pp. 139–45.

5 See, for example, Michael Cole, ‘Executive and Scrutiny Reforms: The Agenda and its Impact at Devon County Council, Local Government Studies, 27:4 (2001), pp. 19–34; and Michael Cole, ‘The Role(s) of County Councillors: An Evaluation’, Local Government Studies, 28:4 (2002), pp. 1–22.

6 See, for example, Hugh Atkinson and Stuart Wilks-Hegg, Local Government from Thatcher to Blair: The Politics of Creative Autonomy, Cambridge, Polity Press, 2000; and John Stewart, The Nature of British Local Government, London, Macmillan, 2000.

7 See, for example, Nirmala Rao, Reviving Local Democracy: New Labour, New Politics?, Bristol, Policy Press, 2000.

8 Districts with under 85,000 population were allowed to retain a more traditional system.

9 Michael Burton, ‘Half of Councils Opt for Cabinet Says Poll’, Municipal Journal, 28 April–4 May, 2000, p. 3.

10 By early February 2002 there had been 22 referendums. Electorates in Doncaster, Hartlepool, Lewisham, Middlesborough, Newham, North Tyneside and Watford had voted in favour of a directly elected mayor.

11 John Stewart, Michael Clarke, Declan Hall and Frances Taylor, Practical Implications: New Forms of Political Executive, Luton, Local Government Association, 1998.

12 Councillors were still expected to attend a minimum of one meeting every six months.

13 Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR), Modern Local Government: In Touch with the People, Cm 4014, London, HMSO, 1998, p. 64.

14 Tony Byrne, Local Government in Britain, 7th edn, London, Penguin, 2000, p. 601.

15 See, for example, David Wilson, ‘Local Government: Balancing Diversity and Uniformity’, Parliamentary Affairs, 54:2 (2001), pp. 289–307.

16 DETR, Modern Local Government: In Touch with the People, p. 39.

17 See, for example, Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher, Explaining Election Turnout: A Secondary Analysis of Local Election Statistics, London, HMSO, 1994.

18 See, for example, Hugh Atkinson and Stuart Wilks-Hegg, Local Government from Thatcher to Blair: The Politics of Creative Autonomy, p. 159.

19 Tony Byrne, Local Government in Britain, p. 590.

20 Hugh Atkinson and Stuart Wilks-Hegg, Local Government from Thatcher to Blair: The Politics of Creative Autonomy, p. 256.

21 See, for example, Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (DTLR), Strong Local Leadership — Quality Public Services, CM 5327, London, HMSO, 2001, p. 40.

22 See, for example, Anon, ‘Finance: Legislation will bring US-style improvement districts’, Municipal Journal, 27 April–3 May 2001, p. 3.

23 See, for example, Alan Smithers, ‘Education Policy’, in Anthony Seldon (ed.), The Blair Effect: The Blair Government 1997–2001, London, Little Brown, 2001, pp. 405–26.

24 See, for example, Michael Cole, ‘The Changing Governance of London’, Talking Politics, 13:1 (2000), pp. 22–6.

25 Howard Elcock, Local Government, 3rd edn, London, Macmillan, 1991, pp. 270–1.

26 See, for example, Commission for Local Democracy, Taking Charge: the Rebirth of Local Democracy in Britain, London, Municipal Journal Books, 1995; and Margaret Hodge, Steve Leach and Gerry Stoker, More than the Flower Show: Elected Mayors in Britain, London, The Fabian Society, 1997.

27 See, for example, Michael Cole and John Fenwick, New Labour and the Corporate Agenda in Local Government, Public Policy Research Unit, Research Paper No.9, Newcastle, University of Northumbria, 2001.

28 John Fenwick and Mark Bailey, ‘Corporate Management in the New Unitary Authorities’, Local Governance, 24:2 (1998), pp. 91–9.

29 Chris Skelcher and Stephanie Snape, ‘Ethics and Local Councillors: Modernising Standards of Conduct’, Parliamentary Affairs, 54:1 (2001), p. 73.

30 Chris Skelcher and Stephanie Snape, ‘Ethics and Local Councillors: Modernising Standards of Conduct’, p. 73.

31 Gerry Stoker (ed.), The New Management of British Local Governance, London, Macmillan, 1999.

32 See, for example, Nicholas Ridley, The Local Right, London, Centre for Policy Studies, 1988.

33 R. Brooke, Managing the Enabling Authority, Harlow, Longman, 1989.

34 See, for example, Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher, Local Elections in Britain, London, Routledge, 1997.

35 See, for example, Hilary Armstrong, ‘The Key Themes of Democratic Renewal’, Local Government Studies, 25:4 (1999), pp. 19–25.

36 See, for example, Peter Kilfoyle, Left Behind: Lessons from Labour's Heartland, London, Politico’s, 2000.

37 See, for example, Jennifer Lees-Marchment, Political Marketing and British Political Parties: The Party's Just Begun, Manchester, Manchester University Press, 2001, pp. 182–3.

38 Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher, ‘Elections and Public Opinion: The End of the Honeymoon’, Parliamentary Affairs, 54:2 (2001), p. 330.

39 See, for example, DETR, Modern Local Government: In Touch with the People, p. 14.

40 See, for example, John Curtice and Michael Steed, ‘The Results Analysed’, in David Butler and Dennis Kavanagh (eds), The British General Election of 1997, London, Macmillan, 1997, p. 300.

41 Hugh Atkinson and Stuart Wilks-Hegg, Local Government from Thatcher to Blair: The Politics of Creative Autonomy, p. 159.

42 Peter Hennessy, The Prime Minister: The Office and its Holders Since 1945, London, Allen Lane/Penguin, 2000, p. 477.

43 Ibid., p. 481.

44 See, for example, John Stewart, The Nature of British Local Government, p. 131.

45 John Stewart, Reforming the New Magistracy, London, Commission for Local Democracy, 1994.

46 See, for example, K. B. Smellie, A History of Local Government, London, Allen & Unwin, 1968; and Ken Young and Nirmala Rao, Local Government since 1945, Oxford, Blackwell, 1997.

47 Jim Bulpitt, Territory and Power in the United Kingdom, Manchester, Manchester University Press, 1983.

48 Ibid., p. 3.

49 Jim Buller, ‘A Critical Appraisal of the Statecraft Interpretation’, Public Administration, 77:4 (1999), p. 697.

50 See, for example, Rod Rhodes, Beyond Westminster and Whitehall, London, Routledge, 1988.

51 See, for example, Stuart Weir, Quangos under Labour, London, Politico’s, 2000.

52 See, for example, Christopher Hood, Colin Scott, Oliver James, George Jones and Tony Travers, Regulation Inside Government: Waste-Watchers, Quality Police, and Sleaze-Busters, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1999.

53 See, for example, Bridget Taylor and Katarina Thompson (eds), Scotland and Wales: Nations Again?, Cardiff, University of Wales Press, 1999.

54 See, for example, Gerald Seenan, ‘Scots Lib Dems push for local PR’, The Guardian, 22 November 2001, p. 16.

55 See, for example, S. E. Finer (ed.), Adversary Politics and Electoral Reform, London, Anthony Wigram, 1975.

56 See, for example, Meg Russell, Reforming the House of Lords: Lessons from Overseas, Oxford, The Constitution Unit/Oxford University Press, 2000.

57 See, for example, Peter John, Local Governance in Western Europe, London, Sage, 2001, p. 162.

58 See, for example, Pippa Norris (ed.), Critical Citizens: Global Support for Democratic Governance, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1999.

59 Colin Rallings, Michael Thrasher and James Downe, Enhancing Local Electoral Turnout: A guide to current practice and future reform, York, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 1996, p. 1.

60 DETR, Modern Local Government: In Touch with the People, p. 14.

61 Philip Blair, ‘Trends in Local Autonomy and Democracy: Reflections from a European Perspective’, in Richard Batley and Gerry Stoker (eds), Local Government in Europe: Trends and Developments, London, Macmillan, 1991, p. 51.

62 Philip Blair, ‘Trends in Local Autonomy and Democracy: Reflections from a European Perspective’, pp. 51–2.

63 Ibid., p. 52.

64 Ibid.

65 Armando Pereira, ‘The System of Local Government in Portugal’, in Richard Batley and Gerry Stoker (eds), Local Government in Europe: Trends and Developments, p. 136.

66 Sonia El Kahal, ‘Japan’, in Jim Chandler (ed.), Comparative Public Administration, London, Routledge, 2000, p. 234.

67 Peter John, Local Governance in Western Europe, p. 135.

68 Ibid., p. 148.

69 R. E. Spence, ‘Italy’, in Jim Chandler (ed.), Comparative Public Administration, p. 139.

70 Ibid.

71 Ibid.

72 Peter John, Local Governance in Western Europe, p. 148.

73 Howard Elcock, ‘German Lessons in Local Government: The Opportunities and Pitfalls of Managing Change’, Local Government Studies, 24:1 (1998), pp. 41–59.

74 Gerry Stoker and Harold Wolman, ‘Drawing Lessons from US Experience: an elected mayor for British local government’, Public Administration, 70: 2 (1992), p. 264.

75 Robin Hambleton, ‘Reinventing Local Government — Lessons from the USA’, Local Government Studies, 22:1 (1996), p. 106.

76 DETR, Modern Local Government: In Touch with the People, p. 26.

77 George Boyne, Public Choice Theory and Local Government: A Comparative Analysis of the UK and the USA, London, Macmillan, 1998, p. 110.

78 Ibid., p. 110.

79 Agne Gustafsson, ‘The Changing Local Government and Politics of Sweden’, in Richard Batley and Gerry Stoker (eds), Local Government in Europe: Trends and Developments, pp. 180–1.

80 John Stewart, The Nature of British Local Government, p. 122.

81 Nirmala Rao, Reviving Local Democracy: New Labour, New Politics?, p. 193.

82 See, for example, DETR, Modern Local Government: In Touch with the People.

83 See, for example, Andrew Adonis and Stephen Twigg, The Cross We Bear — Electoral Reform for Local Government, Discussion Paper No. 34, London, Fabian Society, 1997, p. 12.

84 A more proportional system was, however, used in London to elect the mayor and the assembly.

85 See, for example, Rita Hale, ‘No Money, No Muscle’, Local Government Chronicle, 6 August 1999, p. 11.

86 See, for example, John Stewart and Howard Davis, ‘A New Agenda for Local Governance’, Public Money and Management, 14:4 (1994), pp. 29–36.

87 See, for example, Colin Copus, ‘The Party Group: A Barrier to Democratic Renewal’, Local Government Studies, 25:4 (1999), pp. 76–97.

88 Michael Cole, ‘Executive and Scrutiny Reforms: The Agenda and its Impact at Devon County Council’, pp. 30–1.

89 See, for example, ibid., p. 29.

90 See, for example, Michael Cole, ‘Local Government Modernisation: The Executive and Scrutiny Model’, pp. 240–1.

91 See, for example, Steve Leach and John Stewart, The Politics of Hung Authorities, London, Macmillan, 1992.

92 Paul Foley and Steve Martin, ‘A New Deal for the Community? Public Participation in Regeneration and Local Service Delivery’, Policy and Politics, 28:4 (2000), p. 479.

93 See, for example, Peter Hetherington, ‘North-East in Line for Vote on Regional Assembly’, The Guardian, 30 November 2001, p. 14.

94 See, for example, Jonathan Davies, ‘The Hollowing-out of Local Democracy and the “Fatal” Conceit of Governing without Government’, The British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 2:3 (2000), p. 416.

95 DTLR, Strong Local Leadership — Quality Public Services.

96 Ibid., p. 40.

97 Ibid., p. 11.

98 Michael Burton ‘Zones are quietly dropped’, Municipal Journal, 23 November 2001, p. 2.

99 Anon, ‘Best value plans deadline is put back two months’, Municipal Journal, 15 February 2002, p. 1.

100 DTLR, Strong Local Leadership — Quality Public Services, p. 11.

101 Ibid., p. 16.

102 Simon Parker, Labour chairman calls for local tax referendums’, www.Society.guardian.co.uk/localgovfinance, 4 February 2002.

103 DTLR, Strong Local Leadership — Quality Public Services, p. 21.

104 Ibid., p. 10.

105 For example, community strategies and Public Service Agreements.