Citizen Participation in Local Governance
This page gives a quick overview of different ways that local councils could involve citizens more regularly in the decision making process. It offers introductions to petitions, referendums, participatory budgeting and citizens’ assemblies. One of the criticisms of the current process of establishing Devolution Deals is that there is no involvement of local people. It is a […]
Continue readingPromoting Prosperity and Well-Being
In this page: One of the government’s main reasons for devolving power to cities and regions is the desire to promote economic development across different parts of England. This is because it’s generally agreed that recent growth has been too concentrated in London and the South East. While economic prosperity is important, it is not […]
Continue readingEffective Services and Value for Money
In this page: One of the key criteria for judging whether to change how we are governed is whether doing so would improve public services. At the same time, most people do not want to pay more taxes. So thinking about efficient provision of services also matters. There are also important questions relating to how […]
Continue readingDemocracy and Local Autonomy
In this page: This page considers the basic building blocks of democracy: representation and accountability. It also introduces the related idea of local autonomy. Our democratic system is primarily based on representation. In a representative democracy, voters do not make policy decisions themselves: they give that power to elected representatives. In this page, we introduce features […]
Continue readingAreas and Area Boundaries
In this page: What areas should our local councils or regional authorities cover? This page considers this question. It deals with the kinds of areas that local government structures can cover and the options for working out what the boundaries of these areas should be. It considers both traditional or identity-based boundaries, and boundaries based on […]
Continue readingGovernance Structures: Who Exercises Power?
In this page: This page describes the different structures for decision-making in local government. Decision-making can involve ordinary citizens, elected politicians, and representatives of business, trade unions, and other groups. Structures within decisions can be made include traditional local councils, combined authorities (with and without mayors), regional assemblies, and direct democracy. These have varying implications for […]
Continue readingPolicies: Which Issues Are Decided at Which Level?
In this page: One issue the assemblies will consider is what powers should be held by different levels of government. That involves two questions. The first is: Which issues should be decided nationally (by central government in London) and which should be decided more locally? What should ‘more locally’ mean (in current local authorities, larger […]
Continue readingDecentralisation to Local Neighbourhoods
In this page: In addition to proposals for new bodies operating above the level of local councils, some people argue for decentralisation of some powers to neighbourhoods below the level of existing councils. Local councils often cover large populations. This means that those influenced can be distant from their decisions. On some issues, the people […]
Continue readingLocal Government in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight
In this page: This page sets out the current local government arrangements in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Most of the traditional county of Hampshire has a two-tier system of local government, with county and district councils. Portsmouth and Southampton are not governed by Hampshire County Council. Instead, they have their own ‘unitary’ authorities. The […]
Continue readingLocal Government in the Sheffield City Region
In this page: This pagw sets out current local government arrangements in the area in and around Sheffield. South Yorkshire has four ‘unitary’ councils: Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham. These councils are responsible for providing local services in their areas. The Sheffield City Region includes Sheffield, Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham, plus four councils in Derbyshire and […]
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