ABSTRACT
Among the shopkeepers, solicitors, estate agents, company directors and other local businessmen who dominate the key positions in the local authority in Croydon, there is a broad consensus as regards the core principles of legislation which does not differ too much from the spirit of Jeremy Bentham's philosophy of utilitarianism developed in the early years of the nineteenth century. At the heart of this consensus lies a primary concern with self-help, individual initiative and private property, expressed in conversation through frequent resort to cliche phrases about the need for people to stand on their own two feet, to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, and to have something they can call their own. While these core values do not preclude compassion for those who cannot help themselves, they have resulted in a traditional concern to avoid any social expenditure beyond a level which is necessary to support those defined as being in need. One leading member of the Conservative group spoke on behalf of most of his colleagues when he explained, 'As a Conservative, I believe in leaving a man to fend for himself unless he really needs help.'
