Reclaiming Local Democracy: A Progressive Future for Local Government

Austerity has left local government struggling to meet the demands for local services. In this context, this book asks ‘what are the fundamental principles that should guide decision-making by local councillors and officers?’ It seeks to move the agenda from ‘what works?’ to ‘what should local government do?’ and ‘how will its policies impact on social justice and local democracy?'.

Reclaiming local democracy examines the politics of human need and argues that local government should provid...