Municipal Corporations in England and Wales: A Tale of Two Countries

Abstract

In the wake of the global financial crisis, local governments in the UK have been under increasing pressure to develop cost-effective and innovative approaches to public service provision. The use of municipally-owned corporations (MOCs) has emerged in this context as a potentially attractive alternative to more established service delivery models, such as contracting out and outsourcing. Although local governments in each of the countries of the UK have long operated MOCs in specific policy areas, surprisingly little is known about their numbers, their ownership structures or the governance and accountability regimes to which they are subject. To address these gaps in our understanding, this chapter analyses the corporatisation of local government in England and Wales, providing insights into the distinctive UK context, exploring MOC governance and accountability structures, and reflecting on policy divergence and the politics of public administration within post-devolution Britain.