More than any other area of the constitution, local government has undergone constant change over the past two decades. The Conservative legislation introducing compulsory competitive tendering. replacing rates with first the community charge and then the council tax, the structural reorganization of local councils (with the creation of unitary authorities), and the increasing emphasis on rights for users of local services have left an enduring legacy. The actions of some local authorities on the municipal left and the New Right have tested the legal limits of local democracy to the full. The new Labour government has initiated further changes with the 'best value' regime, the reform of executive structures, and by introducing elected mayors and cabinets in local authorities, and new powers for councils to become 'community leaders', working in partnership with other public, private, and voluntary bodies within their areas. Moreover, other aspects of the constitutional reform programme