The local government response to austerity in a small devolved country: the case of Wales

Taylor-Collins, Emma and Downe, James ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0772-3183 2022. The local government response to austerity in a small devolved country: the case of Wales. Local Government Studies 48 (5) , pp. 929-950. 10.1080/03003930.2021.1996357

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Abstract

The 2008 Global Financial Crisis and subsequent austerity drive across Europe and North America has been particularly felt at a local government level. Wales presents a valuable case study through which to explore the impact of austerity on local government: it is a small country with a devolved government that is philosophically opposed to austerity, yet where cuts to local government have been drastic. Drawing on interviews with Welsh councils and key stakeholders, this paper explores three approaches councils have taken to managing austerity – efficiency, investment, and retrenchment – and finds that councils were already at a financial ‘tipping point’ before the pandemic. This paper concludes by considering the lessons that could be applied to the new challenge of recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Business (Including Economics)
Subjects:	J Political Science > JS Local government Municipal government
Publisher:	Routledge
ISSN:	0300-3930
Funders:	Welsh Local Government Association
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	31 January 2022
Date of Acceptance:	1 October 2021
Last Modified:	15 May 2023 22:19
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/145011

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