The Changing Role of Local Government

Local Government is the sphere closest to the public at which the delivery of services takes place. The manner in which this is done depends largely on a local authority’s institutional make-up (organisational design and structure) which generally determines the way it is managed. This is also informed by the overall vision and development objectives of the local authority. Apart from determining the manner in which the provision of various public goods and services are carried out, the institutional make-up of the local authority also influences the manner in which it is able to fulfil its regulatory role. This report sets out to investigate some of the various institutional approaches/models to local governance, drawn from international experience. This is done by outlining how they came into being and their applicability and feasibility for the way local government conducts its business. This report does not aim to be prescriptive. Rather, it endeavours to highlight the institutional choices at the disposal of a soon-to-be restructured Durban Metropolitan Council, that can best be used to ensure that local government in Durban is able to fulfil its constitutional mandate. This is done by a review of some of the international literature available on this topic.