Essential public affairs for journalists

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Cover New to this edition Preface: earthquakes and aftershocks Praise for Essential Public Affairs for Journalists Acknowledgements Brief contents Detailed contents Guide to the book’s features Guide to the online resources Introduction 1 The British constitution and monarchy 1.1 What is a ‘constitution’? 1.2 The monarchy 1.3 Devolution: from union to government in the nations 2 Parliamentary democracy in the UK 2.1 The origins of the British Parliament 2.2 The House of Commons 2.3 The House of Lords 2.4 Types of legislation 2.5 The passage of a Bill 2.6 The Commons Speaker 2.7 The changing role of the Lord Chancellor 2.8 The Opposition 2.9 Devolution in practice—parliaments in the provinces 3 Prime minister, Cabinet, and government 3.1 The origins of the role of prime minister 3.2 Cabinet versus government: what’s the difference? 3.3 The Civil Service 3.4 Devolved government: executive decision-making in the regions 4 Britain’s electoral systems 4.1 The origins of the British franchise 4.2 General elections and candidacy: who can stand? 4.3 The election process 4.4 Before the event: how constituency boundaries are decided 4.5 Quirks of the electoral system 4.6 Other electoral systems and arguments for ­proportional representation 4.7 The future of voting 5 Political parties, party funding, and lobbying 5.1 Structure and organization of the modern Conservative Party 5.2 Structure and organization of the Labour Party 5.3 Structure and organization of the Liberal Democrat Party 5.4 The Scottish National Party (SNP) 5.5 United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) 5.6 The Green Party 5.7 Plaid Cymru 5.8 The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) 5.9 Sinn Fein 5.10 Deselection 5.11 Party funding now and in future 5.12 ‘Lobbygate’, ‘cash for honours’, and other recent funding scandals 6 The National Health Service 6.1 The origins of the National Health Service 6.2 The end of the post-war consensus and the birth of NHS markets 6.3 The future of the NHS: big debates and issues 7 The Treasury, industry, and the utilities 7.1 The Treasury and Chancellor of the Exchequer 7.2 The Budget 7.3 The government’s role in promoting industry and commerce 7.4 The government’s role in industrial relations 7.5 The utilities 7.6 Private finance initiatives (PFIs) and public–private partnerships (PPPs) 8 Social security and home affairs 8.1 The basis of the ‘welfare state’ 8.2 Social welfare services today 8.3 The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) 8.4 HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) 8.5 Rationalizing welfare: Universal Credit and the great reform debate 8.6 Pensions and the great retirement debate 8.7 Reviews and appeals under the benefits system 8.8 Devolving benefits: the future of welfare in Scotland 8.9 The changing face of home affairs 9 Britain and Europe 9.1 Britain’s twisty path to EU membership 9.2 Evolution of the European Union (EU) 9.3 The main EU institutions 9.4 The euro 9.5 Towards an EU ‘super-state’? 9.6 Other issues facing the EU 9.7 Brexit 10 The origins and structure of local government 10.1 The first British local authorities 10.2 The rolling reorganization of local government 10.3 City councils and ‘city status’ 10.4 Parish, town, and community councils 10.5 The evolution of London local government 10.6 Local government in Scotland 10.7 Emergency services at local level 10.8 Local government associations 11 Financing local government 11.1 Revenue versus capital finance 11.2 Revenue expenditure and how it is financed 11.3 The local authority capital budget 12 Local government decision-making 12.1 Councillors and officers: who’s who? 12.2 Local government hierarchies before the LGA 2000 and under ‘alternative arrangements’ 12.3 Local government hierarchies since the LGA 2000 13 Local government accountability and elections 13.1 Local government post-Nolan: the new era of transparency 13.2 Council constitutions 13.3 Access to council meetings and business 13.4 Changing levels of access 13.5 Local elections 14 Education 14.1 The origins and evolution of LEA schools 14.2 The 1988 Act—and the rise of the ‘mixed market’ in state schools 14.3 The continuing decline of LEAs 14.4 The future of school catchment areas 14.5 Bridging the educational divide: other recent developments 14.6 The role of LEAs in further education 14.7 The role of LEAs in higher education 14.8 The growth of free preschool education 15 Planning policy and environmental protection 15.1 Forward planning: from region to community and back again? 15.2 Development control 15.3 Other issues affecting major developments 15.4 Other quirks of the planning system 16 Housing 16.1 From prefab to new town: a potted history of social housing 16.2 The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) 16.3 Thatcherite housing policy and the decline of council housing 16.4 Homelessness 16.5 Local authorities, Housing Benefit, and Local Housing Allowance (LHA) 16.6 Forcing down market rents: the case for ‘rent controls’ 17 Children’s services and adult social care 17.1 Child protection 17.2 Adult social services and the rise of community-based care 18 Transport, environment, leisure, and culture 18.1 Highways and public transport 18.2 Waste management and environmental health 18.3 Trading standards and licensing 18.4 Leisure and cultural services 19 Freedom of information 19.1 What is freedom of information? 19.2 Freedom of information and headlines: some case studies 19.3 The future of FoI—and moves to extend (or restrict) it 19.4 FoI and the European Union 19.5 Other information sources: accessing historical records Glossary Bibliography Index