Suchergebnisse

Examines 3 ways in which accountability mechanisms could conceivably operate in the new system. Concludes that, based on any conception of democracy - representative democracy, delegate democracy, participatory democracy or market democracy - there has been a marked reduction in accountability. This is particularly true in the metropolitan areas, where for the ex-county functions, representative democracy has been eroded and replaced by a system of delegate democracy. (JLN)

Attempts to provide an academic perspective on the Governments's recent proposals on the conduct of business in local authorities, in the context of the Widdicombe process as a whole. (JLN)

Argues that the Government's abolition of metropolitan counties and the replacement of them by various types of joint arrangements will not result in the kinds of savings estimated by the Government in financial and manpower terms. Abolition can only really be shown to be viable from a financial point of view, if it results in a major decrease in the number of local authority employees in the metropolitan areas. Other possible reasons for expenditure change such as changes in policy due to the different political complexion of the districts, as opposed to the counties, cannot be fairly attributed to abolition per se. (AM)

There has, of course, been some kind of relationship between local supplementary benefit offices and local authority Social Services departments for as long as they, or their predecessors have both existed. Given that a number of 'claimants' at the former will also be 'clients' at the latter, it is apparent that the actions of the one organisation will often be of significance for the other, if only through their common, though differently conceived concern with the claimant/client. However at least two major influences have been operating in recent years to make this relationship a much more significant one for both parties. First, there has been since the mid 60s a steady year-by-year increase in both the absolute numbers of those claiming supplementary benefit, and the proportion of the total population they represent. More significantly, amongst the fastest growing groups of claimants have been those family units living under the kind of stresses which make them prima fade, particularly likely candidates for Social Servicesattention, e.g.single parent families, the long-term unemployed, and the physically or mentally handicapped. Secondly, Social Services departments themselves have experienced a significant broadening of their role since the Seebohm re-organisation.