There are many questions about the effectiveness of local government reforms and, in particular, their impact on democracy, accountability and local autonomy, argues John Stewart in this critical assessment of the challenges and prospects for British local government in the 2000s.

Labour's modernization programme for local government offers significant new opportunities especially in terms of the powers and duties in respect of community well being and of local authorities' own role in community leadership. But there are also many questions about the effectiveness of the reforms and, in particular, their impact on democracy, accountability and local autonomy, argues John Stewart in this critical assessment of the challenges and prospects for British local government in the 2000s.

The Modernisation Programme Introduced - The Challenge of Community Leadership - Democratic Renewal for Local Government - The Main Options for Political Structures - Making New Political Structures Work - Councillors and the Modernisation Programme - Best Value and Improving Performance - Beyond Best Value - Management for Modernisation - Towards Regional Government? - Have Central-local Relations Been Modernised? - Modernisation and Local Government Finance - Conclusion