Simon Parker 
Taking Power Back 
Putting People in Charge of Politics

Faith in the UK’s political system has reached new lows. Politicians and commentators are lining up to offer answers, but what if the problem goes beyond left and right, trust and bureaucracy? What if the system puts too much power in the hands of politicians in London and not enough in the hands of ordinary people? This important book addresses a key issue of our time: where should power and governance lie in our democracy? Simon Parker, a leading expert on public services and government, claims the answer is to give power away. Indeed, across the country, communities and cities are already starting to take matters into their own hands, reinventing citizenship for the 21st century. Including fascinating interviews with former ministers and officials about their experience of managing the central state, as well as illuminating international case studies, Parker offers policy recommendations and practical ideas for giving power away and creating a new kind of politics focused on unleashing society’s creative potential. In so doing, he provides a route map for change, showing how decentralisation can make us happier, healthier and more equal.

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Simon Parker is a leading voice on decentralisation and democracy. As director of the local government think tank NLGN, he has worked alongside many of the UK’s leading councils to inspire new approaches to urban governance and public service delivery. He started his career as a journalist at the Guardian and has since held senior positions at Demos and the Institute for Government He is nationally recognised as an expert on local government and decentralisation and his work has been described as ‘making public policy fun’.