New development: Redefining failure in English local government—Implications for research and practice

Dodd, Matt, French, Max, Wilson, Rob ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0469-1884 and King, Martin (2025) New development: Redefining failure in English local government—Implications for research and practice. Public Money & Management. ISSN 0954-0962

Preview

Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (697kB) | Preview

Abstract

English local government has undergone an unprecedented wave of bankruptcies, requests for ‘exceptional financial support’, and central government ‘intervention’. These developments have made ‘failure’ a watchword in debate and practice. However, ‘failure’ is an ambiguous term with theories of state failure reserved largely to nation states. Reviewing the recent history of local government, this article puts forward a new conceptualization of local state failure based on the dilution of democratic controls through central government appointed commissioners/envoys; immediate financial solvency (through the issuing of Section 114 notices); and longer-term financial health through the awarding of exceptional financial support (EFS) and the capitalization of revenue budgets. This broader approach provides the opportunity to acknowledge the impact of wider relations of networks and tiers of government to provide a more dynamic and nuanced understanding. Building from this, the authors outline an emerging research agenda regarding state failure in a municipal context.