Local government organisation and management in Britain is in the throes of a major transformation brought about by changing economic, social and political circumstances and central government legislation. This book outlines the major pressures for change and analyses and assesses local government's response in terms of role, culture, structure and internal process. Particular attention is paid to the consequences of new decentralised, competitive/regulatory and enabling models of what local authorities should be like in the mid 1990s.

Based on the author's unparalleled in-depth knowledge and experience, this major new book provides a systematic assessment of the diversity and common features of British local government today, set in a clear historical context.