Modernising local government: the impact of new political arrangements on chief officers for leisure and recreation in Wales

Abstract

New arrangements for executive government in local authorities in England and Wales were introduced through the Local Government Act, 2000. This research examined the impact of these changes on chief officers of a particular service, namely leisure and recreation. The research findings considered their impact on the officer structure, the relationship between the centre and services, the changing roles for chief officers and on new political arrangements. By adopting a new institutionalist approach, diverse outcomes were identified and explained in terms of shifting power relations and an enhanced role for the corporate agenda.