Part 1 The history of the size debate: the professional arguments; local government reform in the 1970s; evaluating the arguments; a professional predisposition for large authorities. Part 2 The Conservative agenda: the government's approach; functions; the review; conclusion. Part 3 Professional concern for the 1990s: joint arrangements; contracting of services; disaggregation of service; economics of scale; conclusion. Part 4 The statistical evidence: definition of variables; relationship between population size and service measures; small authorities - provision, expenditure and usage; responses to questionnaire; conclusion. Part 5 Research conclusions - the challenge of reorganization. Appendix: responses to questionnaire - variables with missing cases.
