{"id":65,"date":"2025-08-07T20:45:59","date_gmt":"2025-08-07T20:45:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/routledgelearning.com\/politicsuk\/?p=65"},"modified":"2025-10-10T13:06:37","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T13:06:37","slug":"chapter-20","status":"publish","type":"content","link":"https:\/\/routledgelearning.com\/politicsuk\/part-5-the-executive-process\/chapter-20\/","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 20"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\tHome\n<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Chapter 20<\/h1>\n\n\n

Local Government<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Chapter Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This chapter, like the book as a whole, was largely written in the weeks immediately following Labour\u2019s huge win in the 2024 General Election \u2013 yet before the new set of Ministers responsible for local government matters had a real chance to reveal even their legislative priorities. We had headlines \u2013 widening devolution, ending homelessness, lifting the ban on municipal bus ownership, etc. \u2013 but almost literally not a Ministerial word about how, nor about any plans to stop more councils going as close to bankruptcy as UK councils can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, therefore, to outlining at least broadly how UK local government is structured and operates, the chapter tries to convey a sense of that flux: what has happened in the recent past and what just might happen \u2013 good and bad \u2013 in the near future. It provides an overview of the UK\u2019s local government development, its financial and political weaknesses, its lack of formal constitutional recognition, its competences, organisation, make-up, and elections.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Learning Objectives<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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  • To increase understanding of and interest in an important sphere of public life that in this country more than most is misunderstood and dismissed as boring.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • To identify some ways in which it might be made more relevant to the public generally, but particularly to young people.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • To consider whether what we call \u2018local government\u2019 is actually local at all.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • To raise awareness of the growing degree of devolution in the UK, but also of the costs and consequences of the (still) extreme centralisation of UK government.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • To consider the pros and cons of having 95% of the taxes we pay go in the first instance to national government.         <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    Quizzes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    Test your knowledge with the Chapter 20 quizzes!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Quiz<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n