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Austerity’s legacy: risk, opportunity and a new form of central–local relations?

This chapter reviews how local authorities in England have taken a range of initiatives to respond to super-austerity and face the twin crises of managing housing demand and supply. It discusses the restructuring of the form of local government and the creation of new unitary authorities or merging council administrations. It also explores the involvement of a range of direct activities for the local government to meet specific needs for housing and generate more income through property acquisition and investment. The chapter investigates the extent to which local authorities have engaged in asset- and income-generation approaches. It describes how councils have continued to extend their activities in a cumulative way, as they gain more confidence and learn from others.