Half a Century of Municipal Decline 1935-1985 [Paperback]

Local government passed unscathed through the political and economic upheavals which followed the Great Depression. Contemporary commentators had every reason to look forward to continued growth and expansion in the role of local government, which was seen as the main vehicle for the social programmes of the comeing Welfare State. That optimism was misplaced. Many of the trends of the early twentieth century have been reveresed. From the vantage point of 1985, local government was in crisis so severe that its continued existence was called into question. In this unique book eleven authors explain what happened and how the local government system weakened. Political, financial, economic and legal issues are explored, as are factors such as housing, planning, and social welfare.

This book was first published in 1985.

1. Re-reading the Municipal progress: a crisis revisited, Ken Young

2. Economic change and the changing role of local government, Diane A. Dawson

3. Structure, centralization and the position of local government, Alan Alexander

4. The politicization of local government, John Gyford

5. The functioning and management of local authorities, J.D. Stewart

6. Administrative law, local government and the courst, Marting Loughlin

7. Local government finance, Richard Jackman

8. The rise and fall of planning, Malcolm Grant and Patsy Healey

9. The nationalization of housing policy, Alan Murie

10. Local government and social policy, Nicholas Deavin

11. Comparative reflections and projections, M. David Gelfand