Browsing by Author "Jones, Alistair"

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    Alike in Diversity? Local Action Groups in Nine European Countries
    (Palgrave, 2022-12-14) Jones, Alistair; Copus, Colin; Lysek, Jakub; Krukowska, Joanna; Navarro, Carmen
    Local Action Groups (LAGs) are seen as an integral part in the development of rural economies across the EU. They are a strong network of interaction between the local state and society. Yet what is unclear is the extent to which LAGs operate in a similar manner across different countries. Their remit is detailed clearly through the EU; their activities and operations, however, may differ significantly. For example, in some countries LAGs operate beyond the rural environment. This chapter explores the diversity and uniformity of the LAGs included in the survey, to assess the self-perceptions of their role and importance to civil society.
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    Angleterre: Maires elus et leaders de conseils. Qui elit ceux qui dirigent?
    (Groupe Moniteur, 2020-10-31) Copus, Colin; Jones, Alistair
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    Are we doing them a dis-service? Preparing students to study overseas: a case study of Chinese students and British Culture.
    (2018-08-24) Jones, Alistair
    There are a number of issues around this approach. Firstly there is the issue of content. What content should be taught to these students? There are a range of topics that could be covered, but these may be constrained by time pressures. Secondly, there is the way in which the students are taught. In the UK, there are a range of innovative methods to teach students, including flipped classrooms and co-creative learning. The problem is the vast majority of Chinese students have only experience of a lecturer standing at the front of the class, with no interaction between lecturer and students beyond a monologue. Noting that a number of these students will come to the UK to study, there is an issue over the way in which they are taught. The innovations in the UK (and elsewhere) leave many overseas students like a fish out of water. There is a clear concern over inclusivity. This is before the third issue is even encountered: language skills. In the case study, there is the situation of a European lecturer conducting classes in English, on the subject of British Culture. There is a language in which there is varied proficiency in class on a subject about which the vast majority of students know absolutely nothing. To be able to study in the UK, there are minimum standards of English proficiency. There may be a question as to whether these standards are sufficient for students to be able to study effectively in the UK. To make things more complicated, the whole teaching structure in the case study is devised in the standard Chinese format. It is very intensive. There are three one-hour lectures every morning (Monday to Friday). Each student will have two one-hour seminars during the week. On top of this there is also assessment. There are very obvious time pressures. This paper will explore the different pressures placed on both staff and students in such a scenario. Underpinning the whole paper is the question of: what could be done better? To what extent, if at all, are we doing these students a dis-service? Or, alternatively, what needs to be done better to enable these students to study more effectively?
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    Are we learning from the old? A case study of Welsh local government restructuring
    (2018-06-21) Jones, Alistair
    Local Government in Wales has undergone restructuring in the 1970s, the 1990s, and is currently undergoing the process again. In each round of restructuring, the same arguments appear: economies of scale, rationalisation, reducing costs, reducing the number of councillors. The result has been fewer councils across Wales and fewer councillors. The question has to be raised as to the extent of the lesson-learning which has been undertaken from each previous restructuring. If the same arguments are being presented, it suggests the previous restructurings failed to achieve their aims (with the exception of a crude reduction in both councils and councillors). Yet the justification for further restructuring hangs upon similar arguments. With each restructuring, there has been a merging of urban and rural local authorities. Little consideration appears to have taken place with regard to the specific needs and requirements of the different geographical areas. Each restructuring has seen a ‘one size fits all’ approach. No thought appears to be given to the role of the local councillor or how a local council interacts with its’ local community. Again, there are very different relationships for urban and rural councils. Mergers of councils appear more like marriages of convenience rather than any other rationale. Bigger is perceived to be better. When that is seen to fail, even bigger councils are proposed. The result of this is the loss of identity of councils and those living under the umbrella of a council, as well as a reduction in democratic participation. It is clear that lesson-learning has not happened with the restructuring of local government in Wales. It is not just a neo-liberal ideological imperative which is leading the attack on local government, these attacks pre-date the advent of neo-liberalism. Instead, there appears to be a clear push towards greater centralisation. Whenever such an attack is seen to fail to deliver more rational local government, the exponents double-down their bets and push for even larger local authorities and fewer councillors. There appears to be no desire to learn from past experiences. Such a perspective applies regardless as to which ‘superior’ tier of government is attempting to manipulate local government structures.
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    Britain and the European Union
    (Edinburgh University Press, 2007) Jones, Alistair
    This accessible introduction to the subject of Britain and the EU pays equal attention to both institutions and their relationship with one another. It examines the history and development of the EU, setting the framework for the current relationship; the institutions of the EU and how they affect Britain; and some of the common policies.
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    Britain and the European Union
    (Edinburgh University Press, 2016-03) Jones, Alistair
    The relationship between Britain and the European Union appears to be rather complex. It is often confusing and misunderstood. Some of this is a result of misrepresentation of the relationship in the media. This book examines the relationship in a clear and coherent manner. It highlights different forms of relationship between the EU and the different tiers of government in the UK. A historical context is also presented, to enable a clearer understanding of the relationship and how it has changed over time. The role of the media, political parties, pressure groups and the ever-changing position of public opinion are also evaluated.
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    Combined Authorities: A Loss of Urban Identity or Urban Imperialism?
    (Eotvos Lorand University, 2017) Jones, Alistair; Wall, Rachel
    As a result of devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the UK government has turned its attention to England, and a new legislative framework has been introduced for devolution to English local government. The latest wave of reform is focused on governance structures and a form of territorial re-scaling – the creation of combined authorities, headed by elected mayors. Combined authorities are created where groups of local councils can enter negotiations with government to agree the devolution of powers and finances through a ‘devolution deal’. This process of reshaping the institutional settings within metropolitan regions has implications for the existing political relationships and territorial identities which are being combined into new ‘super authorities’. Political relations are being tested as municipalities within these regions seek to establish new institutions within which they can effectively govern within their own localities but also jointly across multiple geographical boundaries. There is also a question mark hanging over where the balance of power should lie within combined authorities, where different tiers of local government and different territorial interests (urban and suburban/rural) will have decision-making capacity. At the same time, existing territorial identities are also being tested, as these quasi-regional governing entities are established and senses of place are challenged.
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    Conclusion: intra-state government - a stable dynamic
    (Edward Elgar, 2022-02) Copus, Colin; Jones, Alistair; Kerley, Richard
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    Contemporary British politics and government.
    (Cambridge Academic, 2015) Cocker, P. G.; Jones, Alistair
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    Do we need urban parish councils? The problems in England
    (2023-06-23) Jones, Alistair
    The current UK government appears very keen to promote devolution through the levelling up agenda. Some of this is clearly aimed at forms of regional government, although confusingly described as devolving to the local. There is also a clear push to encourage sub-municipal organisations to get involved due to their close links with the community. In fact, the government is very keen for the establishment of sub-municipal organisations to assist in this levelling up agenda. Within the documentation, parish and town councils – the most obvious form of sub-municipal government – hardly get a mention. The creation of such bodies is not mentioned. Yet these bodies can be among the most effective routes in finding out what services are needed and how to deliver them. Such sub-municipalities are prominent in rural England. There are over 9 000 sub-municipalities, the vast majority of which are ‘rural’ or ‘semi-rural’. There are some large urban sub-municipalities – Queen’s Park (in London), the city of Salisbury, Sutton Coldfield, to name but three. Yet these are a distinct minority. The aim of this paper is to explore why such sub-municipalities are so rare in England. Some of this is down to a lack of sub-local leadership. In other instances, local councils have devolved small amounts of expenditure to the ward level, and have encouraged the creation of neighbourhood councils. There is also the issue of identity. People may, for example, describe themselves as living in a particular suburb of a town or city - but only to fellow residents of said city, or those who live nearby. This lack of identity is problematic. If central government was to push for the parishing of all of England, there would be significant issues in drawing the boundaries of the proposed parishes, as well as the allocation of powers and finances.
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    English Local Government and Environmental Matters
    (Groupe Moniteur, 2019-11) Jones, Alistair; Copus, Colin
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    The Future of Local Councils
    (SLCC, 2023) Giovannini, Arianna; Griggs, Steven; Jones, Alistair; Parker, Stephen; Rose, Jonathan
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    Getting Brexit done and the future of the UK-EU relationship
    (Abramis Publishing, 2021) Jones, Alistair
    Boris Johnson's populist slogan Get Brexit Done may have won him the 2019 General Election but the unrealistically easy call to arms which played well through the media disguises a reality of future problems for the UK, EU and Ireland which the PM seems unable to acknowledge.
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    A Glossary of the European Union
    (Edinburgh University Press, 2008) Jones, Alistair
    This A-Z guide explains the key concepts and institutions linked to the EU, along with brief biographies of the leading figures related to the foundation and development of the EU. This will enable readers to link some of the theoretical concepts with the people who introduced them.
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    Going Local on Tax Raising
    (Hemming Group, 2019-08-13) Jones, Alistair
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    The Institute for Fiscal Studies Report: English Council Funding: What’s Happened and What’s Next?
    (Wiley, 2019-07-22) Copus, Colin; Jones, Alistair
    The article reviews the recent Institute for Fiscal Studies (IfFS) report, English Council Funding: What’s Happened and What’s Next. The article provides an overview of the main themesand findings of the report which examines the consequences of a sustained period of austerity for English local government and the impact of austerity on certain key council services.The article explores what the report has to say about the way councils have responded to reductions in government funding and the strategies they have developed to protect certain frontline services. The article reviews the suggestions made in the IfFS report for changing English local government funding and finds that they reflect a form of centralist thinking which lacks a radical edge when it comes to reform.
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    Introduction: setting the scene
    (Edward Elgar, 2022-02) Copus, Colin; Kerley, Richard; Jones, Alistair
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    Levelling Up in England: The strange omission of sub-municipal government
    (2023-09-07) Jones, Alistair
    The UK government is very keen to promote the idea of 'levelling up'. This is about enabling the more deprived parts of the UK (and specifically England) to access various forms of funding to develop projects to assist the local economy and society. There is also encouragement to establish new bodies to assist in these developments, as well as empowering those already in existence. Yet there is one area that, while mentioned, is not really targeted: sub-municipal government. Sub-municipal government in England is much derided, and (for the most part) wrongly so. This is the one tier of government that has that close contact with the public; that is able to find out what is needed, and to deliver. Yet central government has chosen to ignore this tier. Instead, they look to the establishment of new, unaccountable bodies, in the mistaken belief that such bodies are better at service delivery. This paper is going to explore some of the thinking behind this omission, and to highlight the extent to which sub-municipal government in England has an essential role to play in the levelling up project.
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    Local State-Society Relations in England
    (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021-05-09) Jones, Alistair; Copus, Colin
    The chapter explores the complex networks of local state-society relationships in England. After providing necessary contextual background the chapter explores local state-society relationships by examining: Local Action Groups (LAGs) established under the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of and which are also part of the European network for rural development; and, the 38 Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) across England, formed by central government to shape relationships between local government, private business and voluntary groups in fostering economic development with their areas. The chapter elaborates the diversity of structure, practice and legal requirement shaping local state-society relationships which produce numerous patterns of interaction and activity and discusses this as a commonplace feature of the environment within which English local government operates.
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    The Ministerial Code of Conduct and Standards in Public Life – what on earth happened?
    (Mair Golden Moments, 2022-08-20) Jones, Alistair
    Boris Johnson’s legacy is long-term damage to the concept and operation of ethical standards in government and public life