The Wider Agenda: Local Governance, Public Participation and Other Matters

This case study reflects on issues raised by four case studies in the ‘mixed economy’ of community care (published in earlier issues of this journal). It connects these with wider policy issues arising from new patterns of delivery of local public services. The ‘local governance’ agenda reinforces the need for collaborative approaches with the private and voluntary sectors. However, in the context of market forces and conflicting values, ‘partnerships’ are fragile, service quality can be undermined by technical and financial contractual considerations, and it is all too easy to exclude ‘citizens’ from service planning. Finally, although British central‐local government relations are often antagonistic, the local implementation of community care legislation demonstrates yet again the pragmatism of local government and its ability to take on and develop the new role of democratic ‘enabler’.