Competition and community in urban policy in the 1990s

This chapter examines the period of central government urban policy that can be traced from 1991, a year after John Major’s Conservative government took office after the ousting of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister in November 1990, and the year in which a distinct shift in urban policy became apparent. This period, which merged into the subsequent New Labour term of office, attempted to respond to the criticisms of the 1980s model of urban regeneration. Following the pattern of the previous chapter, this one will critically evaluate the Conservatives’ urban policies up until 1997, and explore their underlying philosophies, drawing upon examples of key policies and particular projects in the UK’s cities.