State and politics

DEPARTMENT OF BRITISH STUDIESFACULTY OF WORLD STUDIES

UNIVERSITY OF TEHRAN

COURSE:STATE AND POLITICS IN UK

DR. VAEZ ZADEHBY:PARISA ABBASIAN

THE WORLDS OF LOCAL AND REGIONAL

GOVERNMENT :MULTI- LEVEL GOVERNANCE IN ACTION

Local government in England as proposed by the report. The metropolitan areas are 22 (Merseyside), 23 (Selnec) and 25 (West Midlands).

This chapter describes four linked aspects of multi-level government◦1-the local world of local government

◦2-the national world of local government

◦3-the regional world of local government

◦4-local government and the web of governance

The local world of local government◦The historical decline of local government

◦The reinvention of local government

◦The rise of local government as a nationally organized lobby

Councils in England are based in buildings such as the Manchester Town Hall

The historical decline of local government

◦Local government is an important source of national political leadership for the new system of government that was being created in the worlds industrial society.

◦The regional governments were pioneered in public services an even defense against external attacks.

◦Money: The local government is dependent to the central government for its resources. Historically raised money in two ways:1-the charging for services 2-by imposing local taxes(taxes of domestic property and on business property)

◦ Functions: the local government is still the major deliverer of services but this services are controlled and limited by central government because this local governments are dependent to the central government for most of their money.

◦ Independence: the freedom of local authorities to act independently is also reduced and most of it is because of money. The money that they receive is controlled by central government.

◦Stability: local government enjoyed stability and continuity and the map of local government in 1960 didn't look different from the map in1900.

◦ But we have a major reform of the local system between 1929 and 1963 when the government of London was reorganized.

Reinvention of local government◦ The process of reinvention happened in four ways:

◦ 1-the business like local authority:

◦ Its about the important change in the functioning and the culture of local government.

◦ Local authorities working in much closer cooperation with private sector.

◦ 2-the acquisition of new role:

◦ The reinvention of local government has involved the discovery of new roles for local authorities.

◦ The most important point of it is the role of government in process of local economic development.

◦ The assumption of these new roles was a response to the problems of local economics and the changed structure of economy.

◦ Because of the problems the local authorities were forced to solve the problems by their innovation.

English administrative division

◦Metropolitan borough: red London borough: orange Unitary authority: greenTwo-tier non-metropolitan county: pink

◦ 3-the rise of EU lobbing:

◦ This innovations (in economy)in turn have stimulated the development of the local authority as a lobbyist notably in lobbing for resources from central government and from EUROPEAN UNION.

◦ 4-promoting political innovation:

◦Historically the local government was one of the most innovative parts of the British system of government.

◦ The local governments were innovative in solving their problem. Economic problems , social problems ,political problems and so on.

The national world of local governmentLocal government has an important national presence. Local government for a long time had national organization but the scale and coverage of national organization has grown greatly.

The rise of local government as a nationally organized model:

Central government is the most important source of money for local governments. this local governments wants to nationalize the local finance resources but financial health of local authorities depends on their bargaining with central government.

Professionalism in local government:

The national professional bodies provide a natural way in which specialized policy issues are nationalized. The professions provide forums where issues can be discussed ,standard worked out and the interests of the professional groups represented in both central and local government.

◦Local authorities as employers

◦Working conditions are mostly the result of national negotiations.

◦For local government employers are major actors in the negotiation in submission to the pay review body and in arguments with central government. even where local authorities are nominally independent negotiators central government often intervenes to transform the process to the national one.

The regional world of local◦ Local government has long had a regional face.

◦What is important about regional structure is the extent to which the two arms that have any resources and clout ,the government offices and the regional government agencies.

◦ These are basically part of the field administration of central Westminster government.

Local government and the web of governanceLocal government is a big business. When the state touches the British's live in Britain as it does a thoroughly pervasive way it more often than not does it through local rather than central government.

The pattern of organization:

The basic principles of organization are different in England and Scotland.in Scotland there is only one level of local government service being divided across the country by 29 authorities.

But in England by contrast there exist no such single principle of organization.

This is a system of two-tier authorities prevails with divided responsibilities for district and country council .

◦ The pattern of governance:

◦Governments at the local level are series of interconnected networks that require management and coordination.

◦Governance:

◦ Is a process of network coordination. If the government is about using the states monopoly of coercion governance is about recognizing the limits to what can be done with monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force.

The decline and rise of local governmentfor most of the twentieth century local government was in decline it relied increasingly on central government for money so they lost many of their responsibilities which they had played a pioneering part in establishing in the later part of nineteenth century.

The three changes reduced the long historical subordination of Westminster system:

Devolution:

Devolution has reshaped the relationship between local and central government in wales and Scotland and it has the potential to do it in England. If the elected regional assemblies became a reality.

The decline of national parties:

Party In local government is no longer just a reflection of national struggles.

◦ As two main parties lost their hold over the loyalties of electors the effect has been felt most clearly at the local level.

◦ The growing diversity of the party system with the rise of third parties is more accurately reflected in the composition of local council than the composition of Westminster parliament.

◦ The shift to governance:

◦ Local authorities cannot behave like little monarchies.

◦ They are parts of extended networks of organizations and they have to recognize that the need to work cooperatively in these networks sets limits to authority and autonomy. But by the same token the shift to governance put the local authority at the center of governance network.