ABSTRACT
The main contribution of the Local Government Boundary Commission is contained in its report for the year 1947. This report was the first sign from any official body which indicated either the parlous state into which local government has fallen or the kind of changes which are necessary to effect even a partial recovery. The Local Government Boundary Commission’s proposals had considerable merits and some serious defects. They would have greatly diminished the ceaseless conflict between the existing county and county borough councils, although much hostility would have remained. The Commissioners never for a moment turned their eyes towards the regional movement which has wrought havoc with local government. The Commissioners apparently accepted as a fait accompli the deplorable state of diminished power, interest and responsibility in which local government finds itself at present, without diagnosing the underlying causes or seeking a fundamental remedy.
