New development: Corporatization of local authorities in England in the wake of austerity 2010–2016

Ferry, L.; Andrews, R.; Skelcher, C.; Wegorowski, P.

Abstract

A key institutional driver of current reforms within English local government is ‘alternative service delivery’. Our review of councils’ annual accounts between 2010/11 and 2016/17 suggests ‘corporatization’—the creation of local authority companies—is a growing phenomenon across the whole of English local government. This represents such a significant and far-reaching development in the governance, performance and efficiency of local public services that it constitutes a major field-level change at the interstices of the institutions of state, market, corporation and community. In this article, the authors briefly sketch ways corporatization could be regarded as a field-level change, before presenting findings and reflecting on their implications.

Citation

Ferry, L., Andrews, R., Skelcher, C., & Wegorowski, P. (2018). New development: Corporatization of local authorities in England in the wake of austerity 2010–2016. Public Money & Management, 38(6), 477-480. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2018.1486629

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Apr 4, 2018
• Online Publication Date: Jul 27, 2018
• Publication Date: 2018
• Deposit Date: Apr 6, 2018
• Publicly Available Date: Jan 27, 2020
• Journal: Public Money and Management
• Print ISSN: 0954-0962
• Electronic ISSN: 1467-9302
• Publisher: Taylor and Francis Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 38
• Issue: 6
• Pages: 477-480
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09540962.2018.1486629
• Keywords: Corporatisation; Local Authority Companies; Local Government; England; Austerity
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1362804