Whether citizens should directly elect the mayor or whether only councillors should be able to indirectly choose the local political to the exclusion of the public from the process, is one of the most controversial debates ...

The chapter aims at highlighting and analyzing attempts to restore or improve the existing institutions of representative democracy – the councils and the councillors – in 15 different European countries, from a comparative ...

A feature of English local political folk-lore is the belief among national political parties, that Independent councillors are Conservatives in disguise. Yet, little evidence is given to support this idea because little ...