Central City Decline and the Provision of Education Services

Abstract

This article analyses the fiscal consequences of demographic decline for local services in seven British cities. It takes the form of an economist's view of both the ability and willingness of local authorities to reduce provision of the education service in response to falling pupil numbers. A considerable excess of resource inputs is found to exist over a long period, with consequently higher local rate bills and lost opportunities for effective corporate planning. Some explanation of this maldistribution of local resources is attempted by way of the in-built time lags, departmental-ism, provision for future need, pressure group resistance, political ideology, inertia and the complex multi-disciplinary nature of the subject.