Demokracja i samorząd lokalny w Wielkiej Brytanii. Zarys problematyki

Abstract

The article discusses the position of local government in the UK over the last decade. The author presents and analyses various factors which shaped the relation between the position of the central and local authorities in the 1970s and 1980s. The main factor is the process of centralization, implomented vigorously by the centre and reinforced by the long-lasting traditions of British political life. Centralization has also been faciliteted by the operation of some other factors, such as financial considerations, the all powerful-executive, the dominance of the two party system, 'the insulation of the centre, the non-executant tradition of the central civil service, and the personality and personal attitudes of Mrs. Thatcher. The author concludes -that local government and democracy have bee strongly undermined in the UK over the last decade.