Does Leadership Matter? A summary of evidence on the role and impact of political leadership in English local government

This paper explores the impact of different forms of political leadership created through the Local Government Act 2000. The concept of facilitative leadership is used to explore how leaders use powers and abilities to draw citizens and other stakeholders into a shared vision for the locality, and enable local councils and other actors to shape places and improve service performance. The paper also reflects on possible implications for proposals in the 2006 Local Government White Paper. It is an interim output from the five year evaluation of council constitutions.