The arrival of the new Government looks set to result in a new policy on central government's intervention powers in local authorities, the third generation of such policies this century. Here, we suggest some key lessons from earlier models.
Intervention 1.0 was facilitated by Best Value legislation that an ‘authority must make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the way in which its functions are exercised, having regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and effectiveness' (Local Government Act 1999). This remains the basis of statutory interventions today. But the context could not be more different.
