Local government in the UK is in crisis. It is neither local in terms of the geography and populations of its principal units, nor does it truly govern in these areas. As this book reveals, over the past 200 years local government has changed from a system in which local interests held governance over localities to one in which central government and national and multi-national agencies such as corporate businesses hold governance over local and community decision making. These changes undermine the important role that local government can bring to the effectiveness of liberal democracy in the UK.

Providing a much-needed update on the structures and powers of local government since 2010, Local government and democracy in Britain explains the nature of local government today. It asks if there is any prospect of change and suggests possibilities for reversing the decline in local government. Written in an accessible style, the volume will be of interest to local government activists, policymakers, academics and students in the field, as well as the general public. Popular involvement in local decision-making is one of few practical means that enables citizens to understand political culture. This book illustrates why it is vital.