What is the Future of Local Government?

Introduction

Although it seems strange to pose the question ‘what is local government for?’ more than a century after it was established, there is no single answer, although Lyons has now attempted to define its role more clearly (Lyons 2006). Local authorities have accreted functions and services which all have local delivery in common. These have often developed as a result of specific problems or events or local conditions. On the other hand, there have not been any specific guiding principles of what should or could be delivered locally. The choice of the tier of government to deliver each initiative is left to legislators and policy makers who have seen the specific outcome ...