Accountability in metropolitan government :the case Of Greater London

Abstract

Conflicting ideas about accountability can he found in contrasting prescriptions for metropolitan government. These prescriptions are assessed by a historical look at Greater London. This area has been changed from a two-tier structure of government to a single tier and back to a two-tier with the latest reform. Following the abolition of metropolis-wide government in 1986 the predictions of the metropolitan planning model about public accountability were confirmed: centralisation, weak accountability and public confusion about decision-making responsibilities. However, the form of metropolitan government introduced by the 1999 reform does not include clear accountability. The creation of a metropolitan tier of government does not guarantee equal measures of answerability, responsibility and transparency