English local government finance in transition: towards the ‘marketization of income’

This study examines the impact of English local government finance reform after the 2008 Financial Crisis. It uses advances in case-based methods, combined into Dynamic Pattern Synthesis, to explore changes. Reductions in central government financing threaten the continuation of local services. The results show significant political and management differences as local authorities adapt to manage their survival. Disadvantaged areas are worse affected and to deliver local services are increasingly dependent on ‘market innovations’ to secure income. Previous research has explained the marketization of supply, this new research explores the turn to the ‘marketization of income’.