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Anne Gregory

Local government

Local government is also based on a democratic system of representation. Just as MPs represent their constituents in Parliament, so the local population has the opportunity to elect councilors to make decisions on their behalf on those services provided by local authorities.

Local authorities count for about a quarter of all public expenditure in Britain. The public affairs remit, by implication, is huge both for the authorities themselves and for those who will be involved in activities which have an impact on a community served by a local authority.

While MPs are salaried, councilors are not. (Some holding major responsibilities such as chairing committees or a council leader receive fixed allowances, however.) While MPs have allowances for secretarial and research support, councilors rarely have similar facilities.

And in some instances, councilors hold down a job while juggling their personal time to attend meetings, carry out site visits or undertake surgeries for their constituents. Others will dedicate themselves to being a councillor as a full-time role or perhaps take it up after retirement.

The role of a councillor is one of local representation both to the local community and, in certain instances, to the government and its ministers.

While the outcome of the current review of local government is still to be fully implemented, the future structure of local government in Britain envisages a system of:

In some areas, a ‘two tier’ system of county and district councils in one county area will continue, the county council providing the major services which are best organized on a wider scale (such as education, social services, strategic planning and economic development), and the district council responsible for services such as refuse collection, local leisure facilities and collection of council tax.

Elsewhere a single council will provide all or most local authority services on its own. Certain local authority services may be organized through joint boards or quangos or provided on a contracted out basis.

Parish and town, councils are not in existence in every part of the country, but where they are, they concentrate on very local matters (and in certain circumstances can act as partners or agents for other local authorities).