This article analyses the fiscal consequences of demographic decline for local services in seven British cities. It takes the form of an economist's view of both the ability and willingness of local authorities to reduce provision of the education service in response to falling pupil numbers. A considerable excess of resource inputs is found to exist over a long period, with consequently higher local rate bills and lost opportunities for effective corporate planning.
Some explanation of this maldistribution of local resources is attempted by way of the in-built time lags, departmental-ism, provision for future need, pressure group resistance, political ideology, inertia and the complex multi-disciplinary nature of the subject.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Alcaly, E. and Mermelstein, D. (editors) (1977). The Fiscal Crisis of American Cities. New York: Vintage.
2.
Bahl, R.W., Campbell, A.K. and Greytack, D. (1974). Taxes, Expenditures and the Economic Base: Case Study of New York City. Praeger, Syracuse University.
3.
Bailey, S.J. (1980). Central city decline and the provision of local authority services - a case study of the city of Glasgow. University of Glasgow Centre for Urban and Regional Research Discussion Papers in Planning No. 15 . February 1980. Glasgow.
4.
Baumol, W.J. (1967). Macroeconomics of unbalanced growth: the anatomy of urban crisis. American Economic Review, Vol. 57: 415-426.
5.
Briault, E. and Smith, F. (1980). Falling Rolls in Secondary Schools. National Foundation for Educational Research.
6.
Bull, P.J. (1978). The spatial components of intra-urban manufacturing change: suburbanisation in Clydeside, 1958-1968. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers. New Series. Vol. 3: No. 1.
7.
Button, K.J. (1978). Employment and industrial decline in the inner areas of British cities - The Experience of 1962-1977. Journal of Industrial Affairs, Vol. 6: No. 1.
8.
Cameron, G.C. (1973). Intra-urban location and new plant. Proceedings of the Twelfth European Congress of the Regional Science Association.
9.
Cameron, G.C. (1977). Economic renewal in the inner city - Glasgow. The Architects Journal, Vol. 165: No. 5, February.
10.
Cameron, G.C. (1980) (editor). The Future of the British Conurbation: Policies and Prescriptions for Change. London: Longmans.
11.
Danson, M.W., Lever, W.F. and Malcolm, J.F. (1980). The inner city employment problem in Great Britain: a shift share approach. UrbanStudies, Vol. 17: 193-210.
12.
Dennis, R. (1976). The decline of manufacturing employment in Greater London, 1966-1974. Centre for Environmental Studies. September.
13.
Dennis, R. (1978). The decline of manufacturing industry in Greater London, 1966-1974. Urban Studies, Vol. 15: No. 1.
14.
Department Of Education And Science (1977a). Falling numbers and school closures. Circular No. 5/77. London.
15.
Department Of Education And Science (1977b). A Study of School Buildings. London: H.M.S.O.
16.
Department Of Education And Science (1979). DES Report on Education No. 96. November 1979. London: H.M.S.O.
17.
Department Of Education And Science (1981). Falling Rolls and Surplus Places. Circular No. 2/81. London.
18.
Department Of Employment (1977). Employment in Metropolitan Areas. Project report by the Unit for Manpower Studies. London: H.M.S.O.
19.
Department Of The Environment (1975). Study of the Inner Areas of Conurbations. London : H.M.S.O.
20.
Department Of The Environment (1976). British Cities: Urban Population and Employment Trends, 1951-1971. Research Report 10. London.
21.
Department Of The Environment (1977). Inner Area Studies: Summary of Final Reports. London: H.M.S.O.
22.
Department Of The Environment (1980). Industry and Employment in the Inner City. Inner Cities Directorate . London: H.M.S.O.
23.
Dicken, P. and Lloyd, P.E. (1978). Inner metropolitan industrial change, enterprise structures and policy issues: case studies of Manchester and Merseyside. Regional Studies, Vol. 12: 181-197.
24.
Eversley, D. (1972a). Old cities, falling populations and static incomes. Greater London CouncilQuarterly Bulletin No. 18. London.
25.
Eversley, D. (1972b). Rising costs and static incomes: some economic consequences of regional planning in London. UrbanStudies , Vol. 9.
26.
Foreman-Peck, J.S. and Gripaios, P.A. (1977). Inner city problems and inner city policies. Regional Studies, Vol. II, No. 6.
27.
Gripaios, P. (1977). Industrial decline in London: an examination of its causes. UrbanStudies, Vol. 14: No. 2.
28.
Hall, P., Thomas, R., Gracy, H. and Drewett, R. (1973). The Containment of Urban England: Volumes 1 and 2. London: PEP, George Allen and Unwin, Sage Publications.
29.
Her MAJEsTy's Inspectorate (H.M.I.1981). Report by H.M.I. on the Effects on the Education Service in England of Local Authority Expenditure Policies - Financial Year 1980-81. February 1981. London: H.M.S.O.
30.
Hill, R.C. (1977). State capitalism and the urban fiscal crisis in the United States. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research. Vol. 1: No. 1.
31.
H.M.S.O. (1977). Policy for the Inner Cities. Cmnd. 6845, June 1977. London .
32.
Jones, C. (1979) (editor). Population decline in cities. Urban Deprivation and the Inner City. London: Croom Helm.
33.
Keeble, D. (1978). Industrial decline in the inner city and conurbation . Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers. New Series, Vol. 3: No. 1.
34.
Kennet, S. (1978). Differential migration between British labour markets: some policy implications. Department of Geography , London School of Economics and Political Science . London.
35.
Kirwan, R.K. (1980). The fiscal context: the changing structure of the urban public economy. Cameron, G. C. (1980) (editor).
36.
Lawless, P. (1981). Britain's Inner Cities. London : Harper and Row Ltd.
37.
Lever, W.F., Malcolm, J. and Danson, M. (1979). Manufacturing and service industries in inner cities. Stage 1 report. Paper Prepared for the Department of the Environment Inner Cities Directorate. London.
38.
Lloyd, P.E. (1979). The components of industrial change for Merseyside inner area: 1966-1975. Urban Studies, Vol. 16: No. 1.
39.
Lloyd, P.E. and Mason, C.M. (1978). Manufacturing industry in the inner city: a case study of Greater Manchester. Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers. New Series. Vol. 3: No. 1.
40.
Loewenstein, L.K. (1963). The impact of new industry on the fiscal revenues and expenditures of suburban communities. National Tax Journal , Vol. 16: No. 2.
41.
Massey, D.B. and Meegan, R.A. (1978). Industrial restructuring versus the city. UrbanStudies, Vol. 15: No. 3.
42.
Netzer, D. (1969). Federal state and local finance in a metropolitan context. Issues in Urban Economics. Perloff, H. and Wingo, L. (editors).
43.
Oakland, W.H. (1979). Central cities: fiscal plight and prospects for reform. Current Issues in Urban Economics. Mieszkowski, P. and Straszheim, M. (editors). New York: Johns Hopkins University Press.
44.
Randall, J. (1980). Central Clydeside - a case study of one conurbation . Cameron, G. C. (1980) (editor).
Smith, B.M.D. (1977). Economic problems in the core of the old Birmingham industrial area. Centre for Urban and Regional Studies. University of Birmingham. Working Paper No. 50.
47.
Social Science Research Council (1980). The Inner City in Context. A series of 11 reports commissioned by the S.S.R.C. Inner Cities Working Party.
48.
Stone, P.A. (1978). The implications for the conurbations of population changes with particular reference to London. Regional Studies , Vol. 12: No. 1.
