The British system of local government, rooted in its 19th-century tradition, is essentially ‘government by committee’. Councils make decisions through their committees, to whom they may delegate their powers. All decisions originate as committee decisions and all councillors – including those from the minority parties – are, in theory, able to participate in decision making. The particular strengths of the committee system relate to its historic role in political development, which Harold Laski, writing in 1935, judged this to be of great significance:

This essential quality of local government remains, albeit in a state of continuous change and development. True, the wide diffusion of power typical of the past is today rarely found in practice, for most authorities are run on party lines, with key decisions made behind closed doors by the majority group before being presented to committee and council to be formally taken. Similarly, the overall direction of council business is no longer left to the vagaries of collective decision, for most councils recognise the position of leader – usually the strongest person among the majority party members. Nevertheless, the committee system remains a procedural, if not a political, reality for all local authorities.

Laski's applause notwithstanding, this defining characteristic has also been local government's most criticised feature. For more than 30 years the traditional shape and operation of local government has been subject to near-continuous examination and proposals for reform.