Mr Alistair Jones

Job: Associate Professor and University Teacher Fellow

Faculty: Arts, Design and Humanities

School/department: School of Humanities and Performing Arts

Research group(s): Local Governance Research Centre

Address: The Gateway, De Montfort University, Leicester, UK, LE1 9BH

T: +44 (0)116 2078787

E: anjones@dmu.ac.uk

W: https://www.dmu.ac.uk/pol

Close all sections

Open all sections

Research group affiliations

Local Governance Research Centre (LGRC)

Publications and outputs

The Future of Local Councils
dc.title: The Future of Local Councils dc.contributor.author: Giovannini, Arianna; Griggs, Steven; Jones, Alistair; Parker, Stephen; Rose, Jonathan dc.description: Report on a survey of local council clerks in England and Wales, about their role, their operations and their future
Levelling Up in England: The strange omission of sub-municipal government
dc.title: Levelling Up in England: The strange omission of sub-municipal government dc.contributor.author: Jones, Alistair dc.description.abstract: The UK government is very keen to promote the idea of 'levelling up'. This is about enabling the more deprived parts of the UK (and specifically England) to access various forms of funding to develop projects to assist the local economy and society. There is also encouragement to establish new bodies to assist in these developments, as well as empowering those already in existence. Yet there is one area that, while mentioned, is not really targeted: sub-municipal government. Sub-municipal government in England is much derided, and (for the most part) wrongly so. This is the one tier of government that has that close contact with the public; that is able to find out what is needed, and to deliver. Yet central government has chosen to ignore this tier. Instead, they look to the establishment of new, unaccountable bodies, in the mistaken belief that such bodies are better at service delivery. This paper is going to explore some of the thinking behind this omission, and to highlight the extent to which sub-municipal government in England has an essential role to play in the levelling up project.
Do we need urban parish councils? The problems in England
dc.title: Do we need urban parish councils? The problems in England dc.contributor.author: Jones, Alistair dc.description.abstract: The current UK government appears very keen to promote devolution through the levelling up agenda. Some of this is clearly aimed at forms of regional government, although confusingly described as devolving to the local. There is also a clear push to encourage sub-municipal organisations to get involved due to their close links with the community. In fact, the government is very keen for the establishment of sub-municipal organisations to assist in this levelling up agenda. Within the documentation, parish and town councils – the most obvious form of sub-municipal government – hardly get a mention. The creation of such bodies is not mentioned. Yet these bodies can be among the most effective routes in finding out what services are needed and how to deliver them. Such sub-municipalities are prominent in rural England. There are over 9 000 sub-municipalities, the vast majority of which are ‘rural’ or ‘semi-rural’. There are some large urban sub-municipalities – Queen’s Park (in London), the city of Salisbury, Sutton Coldfield, to name but three. Yet these are a distinct minority. The aim of this paper is to explore why such sub-municipalities are so rare in England. Some of this is down to a lack of sub-local leadership. In other instances, local councils have devolved small amounts of expenditure to the ward level, and have encouraged the creation of neighbourhood councils. There is also the issue of identity. People may, for example, describe themselves as living in a particular suburb of a town or city - but only to fellow residents of said city, or those who live nearby. This lack of identity is problematic. If central government was to push for the parishing of all of England, there would be significant issues in drawing the boundaries of the proposed parishes, as well as the allocation of powers and finances.
Teaching Local and Regional Governance
dc.title: Teaching Local and Regional Governance dc.contributor.author: Jones, Alistair dc.description.abstract: This chapter examines how local and regional governance is taught, using the subject of the UK as a case study. The topic is particularly challenging because the UK does not have a standardised system of regional and local government. Each of the four countries is different. Added to that, the system in England is not uniform, and the concept of a 'regional' identity is not strong. As a consequences, the teaching of this subject differs in each of the countries. In Scotland, for example, priority is given to the Scottish Government over the Westminster Government. Local government, in all systems, is sadly neglected, but to varying degrees. A further complication is how to teach the systems of UK regional and local government to non-UK nationals, be it overseas students studying in the UK or teaching the subject matter overseas. Having experiences of both, I will draw on these in illuminating both the difficulties and the rewards in teaching this subject matter.
Putting the action into Politics: embedding employability in the academic curriculum
dc.title: Putting the action into Politics: embedding employability in the academic curriculum dc.contributor.author: Jones, Alistair; Lishman, Ros dc.description.abstract: Employability is one of these concepts that polarises opinion. There are those who see it as an integral part of student education and learning, and those who see it as undermining conventional academic study. In this paper, we argue it is a key part of student learning experiences and use a case study of a particular module—'Politics in Action'—to highlight the potential benefits to students. This should be seen in conjunction with the rest of a degree programme, where employability maybe embedded but not prioritised. Student feedback reinforces the potential benefits of prioritising employability in one part of a degree programme, while acknowledging the beneficial spillover into other areas of study. There is, however, potential resource cost in adopting this type of approach to delivering such a bespoke module. It is far from being a conventional module, but the impact and benefits to student learning and understanding are clear. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
Alike in Diversity? Local Action Groups in Nine European Countries
dc.title: Alike in Diversity? Local Action Groups in Nine European Countries dc.contributor.author: Jones, Alistair; Copus, Colin; Lysek, Jakub; Krukowska, Joanna; Navarro, Carmen dc.description.abstract: Local Action Groups (LAGs) are seen as an integral part in the development of rural economies across the EU. They are a strong network of interaction between the local state and society. Yet what is unclear is the extent to which LAGs operate in a similar manner across different countries. Their remit is detailed clearly through the EU; their activities and operations, however, may differ significantly. For example, in some countries LAGs operate beyond the rural environment. This chapter explores the diversity and uniformity of the LAGs included in the survey, to assess the self-perceptions of their role and importance to civil society.
Combined Authorities: A Loss of Urban Identity or Urban Imperialism?
dc.title: Combined Authorities: A Loss of Urban Identity or Urban Imperialism? dc.contributor.author: Jones, Alistair; Wall, Rachel dc.description.abstract: As a result of devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the UK government has turned its attention to England, and a new legislative framework has been introduced for devolution to English local government. The latest wave of reform is focused on governance structures and a form of territorial re-scaling – the creation of combined authorities, headed by elected mayors. Combined authorities are created where groups of local councils can enter negotiations with government to agree the devolution of powers and finances through a ‘devolution deal’. This process of reshaping the institutional settings within metropolitan regions has implications for the existing political relationships and territorial identities which are being combined into new ‘super authorities’. Political relations are being tested as municipalities within these regions seek to establish new institutions within which they can effectively govern within their own localities but also jointly across multiple geographical boundaries. There is also a question mark hanging over where the balance of power should lie within combined authorities, where different tiers of local government and different territorial interests (urban and suburban/rural) will have decision-making capacity. At the same time, existing territorial identities are also being tested, as these quasi-regional governing entities are established and senses of place are challenged.
The Ministerial Code of Conduct and Standards in Public Life – what on earth happened?
dc.title: The Ministerial Code of Conduct and Standards in Public Life – what on earth happened? dc.contributor.author: Jones, Alistair dc.description.abstract: Boris Johnson’s legacy is long-term damage to the concept and operation of ethical standards in government and public life
Teaching Local and Regional Governance
dc.title: Teaching Local and Regional Governance dc.contributor.author: Jones, Alistair dc.description.abstract: This paper examines how local and regional governance is taught, using the subject of the UK as a case study. The topic is particularly challenging because the UK does not have a standardised system of regional and local government. Each of the four countries is different. Added to that, the system in England is not uniform, and the concept of a 'regional' identity is not strong. As a consequence, the teaching of this subject differs in each of the countries. In Scotland, for example, priority is given to the Scottish Government over the Westminster Government. Local government, in all systems, is sadly neglected, but to varying degrees. A further complication is how to teach the systems of UK regional and local government to non-UK nationals, be it overseas students studying in the UK or teaching the subject matter overseas. Having experiences of both, I will draw on these in illuminating both the difficulties and the rewards in teaching this subject matter.
Conclusion: intra-state government - a stable dynamic
dc.title: Conclusion: intra-state government - a stable dynamic dc.contributor.author: Copus, Colin; Jones, Alistair; Kerley, Richard

Click here to view a full listing of Alistair Jones' publications and outputs.

Key research outputs

“Where has all the Public Administration gone?” This won the award for the best paper at the PAC annual conference 18-19 July 2012

Research interests/expertise

Britain and the European Union; elections; Parish, Town and Community Councils

Areas of teaching

British Politics

Qualifications

BA (Hons) Political Science (Canterbury, New Zealand)
MA Political Science (Canterbury, New Zealand

Courses taught

Politics, People and Place; Ideas and Change in Politics and IR; Not Westminster

Honours and awards

Best Paper Award, PAC annual conference, Plymouth, July 2012
University Teacher Fellow, DMU, August 2014
Long Service Award, DMU, March 2017
Research Oscars, Faculty of Business and Law, DMU, for Research Engagement in the Media, July 2019
Sustainability Fellow, December 2024

Membership of external committees

Public Administration Committee, member of the Executive Committee 2008-2023. Now UK Association for Public Administraion
Joint University Council, member of the Executive 2008-2023
European Urban Research Association, member of the Executive Committee since 2019

Projects

Parish and Community Councils in the UK

Forthcoming events

I am taking a group of students on a DMU Global trip to Urbino in June 2025

I am convening a panel on Teaching and Learning at the ECPR annual conference in August 2025

Conference attendance

Keynote speaker at the opening plenary session entitled “Brexit: Breaking Away from Europe?” at Agora: Discussions about Politics in Europe online conference, hosted by the National University of Ostroh Academy, Ukraine, 18 June 2024

“Levelling Up in England: The strange omission of sub-municipal government” for the ECPR annual conference, Charles University, Prague, 4-8 September 2023.

Discussant for panel on “Territorial Reforms” for the ECPR annual conference, Charles University, Prague, 4-8 September, 2023

“Do we need urban Parish Councils? The problems in England” for the EURA annual conference, University of Reykjavik, 22-24 June 2023

Convenor and chair of panel “Teaching Local Government” ECPR annual conference, Innsbruck University, 22-26 August 2022

“Teaching Local and Regional Governance” paper to ECPR annual conference, Innsbruck University, 22-26 August 2022

“Come and be a student again … thinking about the ‘what’, ‘how’ and ‘why’ of digital tech applications in our classes” paper to the Teaching and Learning Standing Group of the ECPR conference, Bratislava,16-17 June 2022 (with Dale Minishima-Lowe, Birkbeck University)

Keynote Speaker at the District Council Network annual conference, RSA Offices, London, 21 March 2022

“It’s Politics, Jim, but not as we know it”, DMU Festival of Teaching, 16 March 2022

“Putting the Action in Real Life Learning”, DMU CAI mini-conference, 10 November 2021, with Ros Lishman, DMU.

Speaker on the Plenary DMU CAI mini-conference on “Real-Life Learning”, 10 November 2021

“Self-reflection as an assessment for Public Administration students: have we reflected on why we are doing it?” Paper to the PAC annual conference, 7-8 September, 2021, with Ros Lishman, DMU

"Self-reflection as an assessment: have we reflected on why we are doing it?" Paper to the ECPR annual conference, online, 30 August - 3 September 2021, with Ros Lishman, DMU.

Panel chair at the EURA Annual conference, on-line, for the panels "Cultural Heritage and Transformation II" and "Urban Strategies and Planning", 6-7 May 2021

"Self-reflection as an assessment: have we reflected on why we are doing it?" Workshop for the DMU Teaching and Learning Conference: The University of Tomorrow, 5 February 2021, with Ros Lishman, DMU

Key articles information

Copus, C. and Jones, A. 'Welsh Local Government Association Literature Review on Council Size: Commission on Public Service Governance & Delivery Service Provider Consultation'

Consultancy work

Worked on the Young Visionaries programme to ready young Ukrainians to take over the running of their country after the Russian invasion, October 2024

Worked with the Council of Europe to advise the Parliament of Ukraine on ethics and accountability in local government, 2017; compiled a literature review to inform the Welsh Local Government Association's submission to the Williams Committee on public sector governance and delivery, 2014. Currently available

Current research students

Christine Lalley (second supervisor)

Media work

Below are some of my most recent media appearance:

12 January 2025 - China Global Television Network, on their The World Today programme, discussing the visit of Rachel Reeves to China

2 December 2024 - Leicester Gazette, on Palantir, Leicestershire Police and issues around scrutiny

21 November 2024 - BBC Radio Leicester (broadcast across the East Midlands) on the career of John Prescott

30 October 2024 - Capital FM, Smooth East Midlands and LBC looking forward to the Budget and what might or might not be in it

5 October 2024 - BBC Radio Leicester on the Conservative Party leadership election

17 September 2024 - CGTN discussing the proposed von der Leyen Commission

9 September 2024 - BBC Radio Leicester, on the fallout of the planned changes to the winter fuel allowance for pensioners

12 August 2024 - BBC Radio Leicester, on the first five weeks of the new Labour Government

5 August 2024 - Bauer media Group commenting in advance of the COBRA meeting on the rioting around the UK

29 July 2024 - Bauer Media Group commenting in advance of Rachel Reeves’ speech on the state of UK finances

6 July 2024 - CGTN, on The World Today, discussing the new PM and what faces his government

5 July 2024 - CGTN commenting on the election results and the new government

4-5 July 2024 - BBC Radio Leicester overnight broadcast on the election

4 July 2024 - Great Central Gazette discussing issues around the election

28 June 2024 - Great Central Gazette profiling the possible outcomes for the three Leicester city constituencies

28 June 2024 - Bauer Media Group discussing the election campaign to date

26 June 2024 - BBC Radio Leicester looking ahead to the leader’s debate

24 June 2024 - BBC EMT (online) profiling Leicester East constituency

18 June 2024 - Bauer Media Group encouraging people to register to vote

17 June 2024 - BBC Radio Leicester on the general election and the happenings in Leicester East

7 June 2024 - BBC Radio Leicester explaining the consequences of Keith Vaz standing as an election candidate in Leicester East

6 June 2024 - CGTN on the rise of the Far Right in the 2024 European Parliamentary elections. Available at https://youtu.be/kPfk2eLxTR4?si=LGe3qEe4gm17No7-

30 May 2024 - Bauer Media Group on the first week of the general election campaign

23 May 2024 - BBC Radio 5 Live explaining the ‘wash up’ period of Parliament and the steps to the general election

23 May 2024 - Sputnik International on the implications of calling a snap election, as well as a broad overview of the state of UK politics

23 May 2024 - Bauer Media Group on the reasons behind the calling of a snap election

22 May 2024 - BBC Radio Leicester (broadcast across the East Midlands) on the calling of the snap election

22 May 2024 - Bauer Media Group on the possibility of a snap general election being called

21 May 2024 - Turkish Radio and Television Magazine on the impact of the situation in Gaza on the English local election results

17 May 2024 - CGTN on the fallout of the assassination attempt of Robert Fico, PM of Slovakia

5 May 2024 - Al-Jazeera (English) on the local election results in England

3 May 2024 - BBC Radio Leicester (broadcast across the East Midlands) on the local election results across the East Midlands and all of the UK

1 May 2024 - Bauer Media Group on the East Midlands Combined Authority elections and why there were not such elections in Leicestershire

1 May 2024 - BBC Radio 5 Live on why people should get out and vote in the PCC elections and the various other elections around England and Wales

11 March 2024 - Gem FM on Lee Anderson defecting to Reform UK

6 March 2024 - Gem FM commenting on the budget

4 March 2024 - Bauer Media Group examining some of the issues that might arise in the budget

18 January 2024 - Bauer Media Group commenting on letters being sent to the Chair of the 1922 Committee on the leadership of Rishi Sunak

17 January 2024 - Bauer Media Group on the Rwanda vote result

4 January 2024 - BBC Radio Leicester (broadcast across the East Midlands) on the possible holding of a general election in 2024

ORCID number

orcid.org/0000-0002-4540-563X