ABSTRACT
By the mid-1980s, Islington had decentralized many of its staff into 24 new offices, each serving a neighbourhood of 6,000-7,000 people. The main purpose of these local offices was to bring housing management, repairs and personal social services within easy reach of the people who used them. But they also had a part to play in development. An Improvement Officer was based in each neighbourhood office, whose role was to identify possible schemes, work up briefs and establish local priorities. Better technical back-up was provided when the Architects Department was re-organized into eight area teams, each dedicated to a small group of neighbourhoods. The new set-up offered a more flexible and sensitive approach than the old system, where development programmes and priorities were
contrived by the management hierarchy working from the Town Hall. At its best, central programming worked well. But it could be a hit and miss affair.
