The Fiscal Crisis of the United Kingdom

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xxi

   PDF

2. The Setting of the Problem

   • Iain McLean

   Pages 1-16

3. Public Finance in the UK before 1888

   • Iain McLean

   Pages 17-38

4. Gladstone, Goschen, Lloyd George and the Webbs

   • Iain McLean

   Pages 39-61

5. The Origins of the Barnett Formula

   • Iain McLean

   Pages 62-74

6. Barnett and Devolution Today

   • Iain McLean

   Pages 75-92

7. Health–Getting it Right

   • Iain McLean

   Pages 93-112

8. Local Government – Getting it Wrong

   • Iain McLean

   Pages 113-138

9. The Whys and Wherefores of Fiscal Flows

   • Iain McLean

   Pages 139-159

10. The Australian Model

    • Iain McLean

    Pages 160-179

11. The Canadian Model

    • Iain McLean

    Pages 180-204

12. Honest Centralism and Honest Localism

    • Iain McLean

    Pages 205-225

13. Back Matter

    Pages 226-250

    PDF

The system for allocating public expenditure to the nations and regions of the UK has broken down. Money goes to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by the notorious Barnett formula, but this is collapsing and cannot last long. Money goes to the English regions by poorly-understood formulae that work badly. People in every region think that the system is unfair to them. The Fiscal Crisis of the United Kingdom suggests how the system could be fixed, drawing lessons from Australia and Canada. It recommends a Territorial Grants Commission.

• government
• public finance
• work
• British Politics

• Oxford University, England

  Iain McLean

• Nuffield College, England

  Iain McLean

IAIN MCLEAN is Professor of Politics at Oxford University and a Fellow of Nuffield College, UK. He has worked on British politics and public policy for over 30 years. He has been a front bench councillor twice. He recently completed a large research report for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which has led to substantial change in regional spending statistics.

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