I. McLean 
The Fiscal Crisis of the United Kingdom 

The system for allocating public expenditure to the nations and regions of the UK has broken down. Money goes to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by the notorious Barnett formula, but this is collapsing and cannot last long. Money goes to the English regions by poorly-understood formulae that work badly. People in every region think that the system is unfair to them. The Fiscal Crisis of the United Kingdom suggests how the system could be fixed, drawing lessons from Australia and Canada. It recommends a Territorial Grants Commission.

Table of Content

List of Tables LIst of Figures Glossary Preface The Setting of the Problem Public Finance in the UK Before 1888 Gladstone, Chamberlain, Goschen and the Webbs The Origins of Barnett Barnett and Devolution Today Health – Getting it Right Local Government – Getting It Wrong The Whys and Wherefores of Fiscal Flows The Australian model The Canadian model Honest Localism and Honest Centralism References Index

About the author

IAIN MCLEAN is Professor of Politics at Oxford University and a Fellow of Nuffield College, UK. He has worked on British politics and public policy for over 30 years. He has been a front bench councillor twice. He recently completed a large research report for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, which has led to substantial change in regional spending statistics.