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Abstract

The dissertation explores the need for change within local government over the last fifty years and the push especially over the last decade for a one tier unitary system across England. The move to unitary status was initially about reducing the number of local authorities as this was stated as a link to improving their efficiency and effectiveness based on new theories of corporate management, but no empirical data shows a one tier unitary system is better than any other system.
In recent years austerity and cuts in local government funding have given a new impetus to creating larger unitary authorities and this influenced my case study of Bucks'. To create a unitary, it is argued that Transformational, Transactional and Horizontal management theories are most useful in the process of developing the new organisation. Buckinghamshire Council has benefitted from the experience of other local authorities becoming unitary councils before them and in doing so is able to policy learn from their failures and successes and adjust their processes and policies to proceed forward accordingly. The debate for and against the unitary system rages, but only time will tell if this system was the right way forward.

Course: Public administration - MPA - P2343FTD

Date Deposited: 2022-08-25

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis14004.html