Devolution and local government: 25 years beyond the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement

ABSTRACT

In the 25 years since the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, there has been an extensive focus on the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland. However, less attention has been paid to the subsequent overhaul of the wider system of public administration in the province, in particular local government. In 2015, a reformed local government system was introduced in Northern Ireland (NI), supposedly heralding a period of ‘super councils’. Using a framework developed by Kuhlmann and Wollmann (2019 [Introduction to Comparative Public Administration. 2nd ed. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar]) for the comparative study of public administration, specifically local government, the article evaluates the significance of the reforms in Northern Ireland and the possible further enhancement of local authority powers, particular during the continued disruption in, or absence of, devolved institutions. In highlighting what continues to be a fundamental imbalance in regional governance within Northern Ireland, the article concludes that the system remains characterized by marginalized local government, with a consequential impact on the quality of public services and associated outcomes.

KEYWORDS:

• Local government
• Northern Ireland
• devolution
• centralization
• performance evaluation‌

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 There are 350,699 pre-school, primary and post primary school children in Northern Ireland. Of these, 24,861 attend integrated schools (Department of Education, Northern Ireland: 2020–2021 data).