Local Government
Local government is at the heart of much of Policy Exchange's work.
We believe that one of the greatest obstacles Britain faces to achieving its potential is the concentration of political power in Westminister and Whitehall. Once a highly devolved nation with dynamic local governments, Britain is now the most centralised state in the developed world. Even when power is not held at the Whitehall centre, there is a preference for unaccountable quangos over elected bodies. This helps to explain why, in areas as diverse as health, education, housing and crime, we perform less well than nations of similar size and wealth.
Our publications have argued consistently for a reversal of this trend. Three publications (The Decline and Fall of Local Democracy; I’m a Local Councillor, Get Me Out of Here; Nothing to Lose But Your Chains) traced the weaknesses of the local government finance system and argued for ‘radical but politically feasible’ reforms which would give councils greater financial independence. In Big Bang Localism, Simon Jenkins argued for a transfer of powers to local authorities with a speed and radicalism comparable to the City of London reforms of the mid 1980s. We have also applied our localist philosophy in publications in other policy areas such as housing, education and policing.
The final stage of the Lyons Review and the inconclusive nature of the recent White Paper on local government mean that major issues have still to be resolved. Our research in the coming months will examine how to make a commitment to decentralisation – now part of the rhetoric of all major parties – a reality.
Publications on Local Government Issues
Local Government Experts