Scottish Local Government

Citation

Danson, M. (2005), "Scottish Local Government", International Journal of Public Sector Management, Vol. 18 No. 5, pp. 478-479. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513550510608912

Before the rejection in the 2004 referendum of the proposals for devolution in the North East of England, experiences of local government in the Celtic countries had been generating much interest. Relations with their devolved Parliaments and Assemblies, partnership and networking practices, power struggles over functions and responsibilities, financial reviews and imposed “initiatives” had all come under scrutiny. On the one side of the local authorities in England, there had been a good deal of fear about whether their abilities to undertake their roles and powers autonomously would be diminished or removed up a jurisdictional level, while others stressed the perceived regional benefits that could be realised, partly through better governance structures and arrangements between public bodies.

Although these concerns outwith Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have been modified while alternative models of coordinating QUANGOs, NDPBs, GORs, RDAs and the rest of the alphabet soup are explored, the lessons from Scotland are still worth airing. They should have some application to the regional environments and economies of England. Allan McConnell's book is timely, therefore, as it offers detailed insights into how local government has been evolving since the Scottish Parliament was re‐established in 1999. The volume is divided into 11 chapters, with much of the discussion of interest to the wider constituencies of Scotland and political and administrative scientists, on central‐local relations and multi‐level governance dealt with in Chapter 10. Indeed, these issues and chapter are signposted throughout the book, confirming and anticipating their significance. Much of the remainder of the volume will be of more limited interest despite the clarity, rigour and breadth of Scottish Local Government. However, many of the arguments and analyses have wider applicability and a wider readership would benefit from accessing this work.

The book attempts to fill an important gap in the academic and lay person's library by describing and examining how and why local government operates and what are the main issues and debates in 21st‐century Scotland. McConnell deals superficially with some of the big policy areas – education, housing and social work, but these are dealt with more comprehensively elsewhere. Each chapter is laid out accessibly, concludes the arguments well and then produces “Key Questions” (their role presumably being for student classes, though this is not made explicit), suggested further reading with commentary, and an annotated set of useful web sites. The index and bibliography are both notable for their length and breadth, confirming that this is a valuable resource for those interested in local government. After the Introduction, Scottish Local Government considers the nature and purpose of [Scottish] local government; the strengths and weaknesses of unitary authorities, again a key issue elsewhere within the UK; successive modernisations of political management arrangements; the roles and remuneration of councillors; electoral reform and new methods for encouraging greater citizen participation; the growth of the non‐elected state and local governance; CCT, Best Value and the rise of the performance culture; council finance – including business rates, Council Tax, PFI and alternative funding proposals; and the wider context concerns with central‐local relations, multi‐level governance and globalisation.

At £15.99, this is a reasonably priced text, which meets its own objectives by filling the gap in the literature on the evolution of local government historically and in a devolved Scotland. McConnell has provided a critical reminder of the roles and essential position lower tier authorities must have in a healthy civil society. I would recommend it to any organiser of a course on this subject, but also would direct researchers and commentators who need to be informed in this area to make this their first port of call. Indeed, given the robust and objective analysis – albeit delivered with a smouldering anger – of the attacks on the integrity and democratic accountability of local government by the Conservative administrations of the 1980s and 1990s, this should be compulsory reading for any new politician or commentator in this field.