ABSTRACT
Central government is ill equipped to deal with many matters which require special local knowledge and regulation on the basis of local needs. The devolution of power to directly elected local authorities enables those with local knowledge and expertise to regulate the provision of services, such as public housing, public sanitation, educational and recreational facilities. Local government, therefore, is justified on the basis of efficiency. Local government also represents the citizen’s closest contact with a democratic institution and enables individuals to play a role in the administration of their geographical area. The merits of local government were summarised by the Widdicombe Committee as follows:
In England and Wales there are a total of 410 local authorities, having 19,000 elected councillors and employing over two million people in the task of delivering over 700 different services. Local authorities are of five principal types, namely: County Councils, District Councils, Metropolitan Districts (or Boroughs), Unitary Councils and London Borough Councils.71 In Northern Ireland there are 26 Councils and in Scotland 32 unitary councils.
