Originally published in 1982, this book was the first comprehensive, critical assessment of the outcome of the controversial reorganisation of British local government outside London which took place between 1973 and 1975. The book deals with the new systems in England, Wales and Scotland, drawing upon the results of almost 100 in-depth interviews with leading members and officers from Shetland to Cornwall, from major cities to rural districts. Liaison between the tiers, the effects of corporate management, the spread of the office of chief executive, the increasing levels of partisanship and the changing face of central-local relations are examined on the basis of close observation and practical experience rather than theoretical preconceptions.

Alan Alexander is Emeritus Professor of Public Sector Management at the University of Strathclyde Business School. Before his appointment to a professorship at Strathclyde and as founding director of the Scottish Local Authorities Management Centre, he held academic posts at Lakehead University, Ontario and at the University of Reading. He has served as a borough and county councillor and, since his early retirement he has held a series of senior public appointments including membership of the Economic and Social Research Council, of the Accounts Commission for Scotland and as Chair of Scottish Water. In 2024 he retired after more than four years as Chair of Audit Scotland, the national public audit body. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh of which he was General Secretary, 2013-18.