The captive local state

Peter Latham, Socialist Renewal, Russell House, Bulwell Lane, Nottingham NG6 0BT, £2.00

The author, who is the secretary of the Labour Campaign for Open Local Government, critically examines the Local Government Act 2000, which imposes the cabinet/mayor/manager system on English local authorities. He argues that it will seriously curtail local democracy and claims that New Labour's ultimate aim is to replace local democracy with local administration.

The booklet argues that the three new systems of local governance are designed to assist the opening up of education and other services to private enterprise, implementing the agenda of the New Local Government Network. This was set up in 1996 and is funded by the major companies which hope to benefit from the privatisation of local services.