In the eye of the storm: English local government and the COVID-19 crisis

The COVID-19 crisis has exposed the problematic nature of centre-local relations in the UK. This is particularly true in England, where the centre maintains a strong hold over the subnational governance. The aim of this chapter is to shed light on this issue, assessing how the presence of systemic weaknesses in multi-level governance structures has affected pandemic responses since the start of the coronavirus emergency in England. On the one hand, the analysis shows the resilience of the local level, emphasising the potential of place-based responses and locally rooted leadership against the top-down approach endorsed by the centre. On the other hand, however, it also indicates the persistence of central government’s dominance over local authorities. This has led to a growing chasm between central and local government, which impacts negatively on policy outcomes and requires to be addressed through a reform of vertical relationships and power allocation in England.