ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how county councillors manage the tension generated by their membership in a national political party and demands generated by their loyalty and disciplined action. It examines how county councillors as members of national political parties act as representatives, decision makers and governors at the county level, and the effects that party membership has on county-level local representation. The chapter presents the results and analysis of the responses to the questionnaire statements exploring the subject of party influence. It also examines in more detail the notion of party decline as it relates to an understanding of the relationship between county councillors and the local units of their national parties. The chapter discusses the findings of the research data from our European sample. Finally, it concludes that party decline does not mean a decline in the domination of county government by political parties.
