ABSTRACT
The contents of the Local Government White Paper Modern Local Government: In Touch with the People have been widely discussed so the article does not spell out its contents in detail or run through its main proposals. Instead, it sketches out the political themes which the author believes In Touch with the People represents and the opportunities for local government which they present. Those themes are: redefining the relationship of local government with the people; earning public expenditure; ending ideological battles over public service provision; and innovation in governance.
