1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910816320903321

Autore

Copus Colin

Titolo

In defence of councillors / / Colin Copus

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Manchester : , : Manchester University Press, , 2016

Baltimore, Md. : , : Project MUSE, , 2017

©2016

ISBN

1-78499-610-6

1-5261-0423-7

1-78499-672-6

Edizione

[1st ed.]

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (208 p.)

Disciplina

352.1/4/0941

Soggetti

City council members

Local government - Great Britain

City council members - Great Britain

Great Britain

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (pages 176-189) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Cover -- Half-title -- Title page -- Copyright information -- Table of contents -- Preface -- Acknowledgements -- 1 The constancy of change -- Introduction -- A complex and unbounded office -- Governing within governance -- Constitutional context and local government -- Past, present and future -- Structure of the book and research -- 2 Reappraising and rethinking the office of councillor -- Introduction -- Councillor roles as a framework for analysis -- Roles, relationships and responsibilities -- Perception, behaviour and political action -- Conclusion -- 3 Councillors and RealLokalPolitik -- Introduction -- Party, people and power -- Crossing the divide: the local body politic -- The councillor in action -- We expect your support -- Here we go again -- Action explained -- Conclusions -- 4 Councillors: bringing order to chaos -- Introduction -- The source of local sovereignty -- Councillors: authority and influence -- Strategies for influence -- Conclusion -- 5 Why seek to serve? -- Introduction -- The time was right -- The slow burn -- The big bang -- The resister -- Resistance is useless -- Conclusions -- 6 A 24-hour-a-day job: when



worlds collide -- Introduction -- Proximity to people and place -- Blurring the boundaries -- Contact with the council -- Paperwork -- A word about meetings -- People, patch and privacy -- Conclusion -- 7 Official mind and public image -- Introduction -- Part one: unlocking the official mind -- Journey to the centre -- The development of the contemporary official mind -- The Committee on the Management of Local Government -- Committee of Inquiry into the Conduct of Local Authority Business -- Modernising local government -- Councillors Commission -- Councillors on the front line -- Conclusion -- Part two: the public image -- Media, message and manipulation -- Councillors in the news -- An overview -- Conclusion.

8 New directions and new purposes -- Introduction -- Councillors: getting the best from executives and overview and scrutiny -- Revisiting councillors bringing order to chaos -- Councillors as governors and leaders -- The councillor as local governor -- Strengthening the government in local government -- Conclusion -- 9 Conclusion: councillors, hope for the future? -- Introduction -- Recognising a new reality -- Independent local government: a new settlement for councillors and councils -- A final three cheers -- Bibliography -- Index.

Sommario/riassunto

'In Defence of Councillors' provides just that - a defence of councillors and the institution of local representative democracy to which they are elected (the council) from the often ill-informed and inaccurate criticism of their personal, professional, and political roles as local politicians. It explores what the shift from local government to local governance has meant for councillors, their roles, functions and activities, the pressures they experience, the links they have with their parties, and the relationships they forge with citizens and communities.