Politic and participation- local and devolved government Flashcards
Notes about local government
-no constitutional right to exist hence can be reformed, removed or reshaped at anytime by parliament
-only able to carry out functions allocated by central government
Describe the role of the local government
-provide services at local level
-part of democratic process where citizens can voice opinion and stand for elected public office
-provide grassroots platform for political parties
-make decisions regarding local provisions of services
How is the local government structured?
-tier system
-lowest (community/ parish/ town) * fewest powers and smallest income
-top tier *largest area, more powers, greater income (e.g. county council)
Recently the government has encouraged unitary authorities, single council for a given area
London two-tier system includes Greater London Authority and London Boroughs
How many county councils are there and what are they responsible for ?
27
-educational, social services, waste disposal, libraries
How many district counties are there and what are they responsible for?
207 (called borough, district or city councils)
-housing, environmental health, planning applications, leisure and recreation
What does the two-tier model consist of
County council
District council
(Parish and town are too small to be included
What is a difference between district and city or borough councils?
District has chairperson
City and borough have mayor or Lord Mayor
How many metropolitan Borough councils are there?
36
How many Unitary authorities are in England?
56
What is the role of parish/town/community councils?
Maintenance of footpaths, cemeteries and village greens
Provision of bus shelters, playgrounds, public seats, public toilets, public clocks, streetlights, village or town halls
Around 10,000 in total
What are the different positions in the council and what are their responsibilities?
Full council- all elected councillors, meet to debate and decide upon policy based on reports from committees
Committee member- monitor councils performances and decision making, process, deep knowledge on a particular area
Cabinet member- same concept as central government, minister appointed specialises in a department, leader of council works with a small group of appointed councillors
Leader of council- group or party with majority elects leader, usually holds post for a year
Ceremonial mayor- ceremonial duties and chair meetings
Elected mayor- make senior appointments, responsible for running all local services, proposes budget and policy framework, more powers then councillors
Describe the role of local councillor
-represent interests of local community
-can represent political party
- campaign for the best interests of area
-hold surgeries in local area
-deal with issues and problems raised by constituents
-serve on community bodies + represent council on outside bodies
-attend civic and community functions
-serve on council committees
-help decide on council policy
-hold council to account
How can local councillors be held to account ?
-ballot box/local elections- re-election
-local media report on their work
-must follow code of conduct
-political party (if they’re a member)
-annual external audit
- publication of financial expenses and allowances
What is devolution?
Transfer of powers from a greater to lesser body
Discuss the timeline of devolved powers in Northern Ireland
-devolved powers since 1921 (initially parliament)
- NI Parliament dissolved during ‘the Troubles’
-since there have been periods of UK direct rule and power sharing assemblies
-1998 Good Friday agreement followed by referendum re-established dissolved government in NI
When was the Scottish Parliament established?
1988 following a referendum
What is the history of the Welsh Parliament?
-1998 Welsh people vote for an assembly and power over some policy areas
-2017 new powers given to Wales
-2019 named as a parliament
What is the party composition in Scottish Parliament
(Don’t memorise, just read)
64 seats to Scottish Nationalist Party
7 Green Party
Opposition
22 Labour
31 conservative
4 Lib Dem
1 other
+ the speaker
What is the composition in Wales
(You don’t need to memorise this, just read it. Notice that there are strong nationalist party’s in all three devolved bodies)
30 Labour
13 Plaid Cymru
Opposition
16 conservative
1 Lib Dem
Northern Ireland assembly composition
You may notice that most of the Northern Ireland Assembly party’s are completely different to what other parliaments in the UK consist of
25 democratic unionist
27 Sinn Feid
9 SDLP
9 Ulster unionist party
17 alliance
2 independent unionist
1 traditional unionist voice
1 people before profit
What are reserved powers?
Powers still held by UK Parliament on behalf of the entire UK
e.g. constitutional affairs, Defence and foreign policy
List 5 devolved powers
Health and social services
education
local government
housing
economic development
agriculture, forestry and fisheries
environment and planning
transport
tourism, sport, culture and heritage, fire and rescue services
water and flood defences
List three additional powers devolved to Scotland
-justice and policing
-abortion
-Equal opportunities in relation to public bodies
-stamp duty land tax and landfill tax
List two additional powers devolved to Wales
- road signs and speed limits
-equal opportunities in relation to public bodies
-Welsh language
List 2 additional powers devolved to Northern Ireland
-justice and policing
-energy
-employment law
-social security, child support, pensions
-equal opportunities
Should there be an English only parliament ?
Issue of who can vote (Scottish MPs can vote on NHS issues in England but English MPs have no say in Scottish NHS)
If you want to stand for local election in the UK you must be……
at least 18
a British citizen or eligible commonwealth citizen
You can be disqualified from standing for election at local level if…….
Make sure you know at least 2
-you’re employed by local authority
-you hold a politically restricted post
-you are subject to bankruptcy restrictions order
-you have been sentenced to a term of imprisonment three months or more in the last five years
-you’ve been disqualified under Representation of the people Act 1983 (covers illegal electoral practices or offences relating to donations)
To stand for local elections you need to meet one of the four qualifications
-registered elector for local council area
-owner or tenant for land or premises in local council area 12 months prior to handing in election nomination papers
-place of work in local area for past 12 months
-lived in area for whole of the 12 months before election papers handed in
(Basically ensuring you have some connection to the local council area you wish to stand for election in)
If you want to become an MP, you must…..
Be at least 18
Either a British citizen, citizen of Republic of Ireland or eligible commonwealth citizen
You are disqualified from standing for election at national level if……
-you are a civil servant
-a member of the police force
-a member of the armed forces
-a government nominated member of a commercial company
-a judge
-member of legislature (people who make laws) in any country or territory outside the UK)
-member of the House of Lords
-bishops of Church of England in House of Lords
How do political party’s select candidates?
-advertise position
-respondents need to be on list approved by national party before putting name forward
-local party members draw up shortlist after interviews. Process overseen by returning officer- trained member from different local party area
-candidate invited to attend meeting of party members. Address meeting and answer questions
-candidate sends leaflet to party members asking for their vote
Who can vote in local elections?
On the electoral register and
-over 18 England
-16 in Scotland and Wales
-British citizen, qualifying commonwealth citizen or citizen of a country which has an agreement with the UK (e.g. Spain or Portugal )
Who can vote in general elections?
Those registered to vote who are
18 or above
British citizen, qualifying citizen of the Commonwealth, or citizen of the Republic of Ireland
Who cannot vote in general elections?
-members of the House of Lords
-anyone who does not meet the specifications
-convicted people in prison ( people awaiting a trial can vote)
-Anyone found guilty within the last five years of corrupt or illegal practices in connection with an election
-Anyone detained under certain sections of the mental health act, 1983
At what age can you register to vote?
-in England to Northern Ireland, you can register to vote when you are 16 and vote when you’re 18
-in Scotland and Wales, you can register to vote when you’re 15 and vote in local elections at 16 and UK Parliamentary elections at 18
Voting patterns and trends:
what age group were most likely to vote conservative?
-the older the person, the more likely they were to vote Conservative
-younger, Labour
What percentage of 18-24 years olds voted in the 2019 general election?
47%
What percentage of over 65s voted in the 2019 general election?
74%
What percentage of the general population voted in the 2019 general election?
67.3%
How can voter turnout be improved?
Suggest 4 ways
-allowing weekend voting
-changing polling hours
-opening polling stations in different locations
-encouraging postal and early voting
-online or telephone voting
-changing the system to proportional voting (used in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)
-local referendums
-compulsory voting
-lowering voting age
What are the main sources of government income ?
- income tax paid by everyone earning, or having an investment or savings income set above an annual level
-National insurance contributions paid by everyone below 65 in employment, earning above a set level
-VAT, value-added tax, paid on a large range of goods and services
-Corporation tax paid by companies on profits
-Business rates paid by businesses
-Tax on things like alcohol and cigarettes
What is the largest source of government income?
Income tax
What is the largest area of government spending?
Social protection, 302 billion in 2021/22
Closely followed by health, 230 billion in 2021/22
What areas does the government include in its annual budget?
Debt interest
Housing and environment
Industry, agriculture, and employment
Defence
Education
Transport
Health
Personal social services
Social protection
Public order and safety
How is the local government funded?
Council tax on properties in the local area
Charges on services like parking, leisure services, planning applications
If the government wishes to increase government spending they can……
Increase taxation to generate more government income
Borrow additional money increasing government debt
Make assumptions about economic growth, which will lead to existing taxes, raising more income
What are examples of when the government has to spend out on things which weren’t in their original budget plan?
Pandemics- COVID-19, the government had to spend money to support the NHS and vaccination and support businesses which required financial assistance
Wars- Ukraine, displacement of millions of people, rising food and energy insecurity, cost of living crisis, high cost of prices and goods and services
What is the name of the body which oversees the running of elections and referendums in the UK?
Electoral commission
How did the government support households and pensioners in the winter fuel crisis of 2022?
Every household was given £400
Pensioners and those on benefits received additional payments
