Local Government in England

This chapter explains local government finance policy in England and sets out a summary of the current situation. Historically, English local government was established on an ad hoc basis in response to specific service needs and local particularism. A range of single purpose bodies developed during the nineteenth century in response to the social conditions created by industrialisation, and between 1888 and 1925 these gradually developed into multi-purpose local authorities (Keith-Lucas & Richards, 1978; Wilson & Game, 2011). The UK has no written constitution, and local government has always occupied a constitutionally subordinate position. Its functions are determined by the UK Parliament; it has no written or conventional rights to particular functions, or funding sources. Its influence in UK public life waxed at the time of the welfare state in the mid-twentieth century, when public sector functions were expansive; at other times, it has been disregarded or engaged in open struggle with central government. For the most apart, the UK state has shown little interest in developing a narrative of a clear role for the sector or a coherent approach to central–local relations, instead largely muddling through in response to ephemeral policy requirements.