Intra-local Conflict, Public Opinion and Local Government Restructuring in England, 1993-1995

The British Conservative government decided on a major restructuring of local government in the early 1990s. In Scotland and Wales it determined to achieve this by legislative fiat, but in England it sought to remove the two-tier structure (counties, within which were nested boroughs and districts) and replace it by a system of unitary authorities through the work of a Local Government Commission, which was to consult widely. The strategy very largely failed, and few changes were eventually recommended, because the consultation process identified little support for the recommended changes among the general public and encountered substantial conflict between the two existing levels of local government.