Local government reorganisation has been elevated onto the policy agenda as the Local Government Commission has submitted its final report, and as the Labour and Conservative Parties debate the merits of regional government. This paper analyses the immediate political pressure which led to the formation of the Banham Commission and positions the Commission within the broader context of pressures for local government reform which have developed over the last 20 years. The paper discusses the Commission's failure to achieve wide-ranging reorganisation, and concludes that this missed opportunity may have been the best possible outcome for John Major's government.
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