Implications of local government reorganization

Abstract

This article looks at the problem of providing estimates for the alternative costs of local government structures in the case of an existing county area where over £833M is spent annually on services. The focus is on the national ‘rules of the game’ set out in the Policy Guidance given to the Local Government Commission. The way in which the Commission and their consultants have interpreted these rules is considered and set against a backdrop of how the adoption of a national model is at odds with a realistic measure of the changes in costs arising in a local area as a result of organizational changes.