Forming a Government: National, Local, Regional and Devolved

Not one government, but several levels

It is easy to picture the government as one group of people in one building in London. That picture is what makes this topic confusing. ⭐ The truth is that the same country is governed at several LEVELS at once, and each level decides different things. A decision about collecting the bins is made by your local council. A decision about schools or hospitals in Scotland is made in Scotland. A decision about the defence of the whole United Kingdom is made by the UK government in London. ⭐⭐ So the exam skill is not to list the institutions. It is to know WHICH LEVEL decides WHAT, and who forms the body at each level. This module has two halves that fit together: how a government is FORMED after an election, and the LEVELS at which the country is then governed. ⚠️ Carry one question through everything below: at which level would this decision be made?

Kept at the centre, and passed down

Devolution means some powers have been passed from the UK Parliament down to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Others are kept at the centre. Telling the two apart is half the topic.

Order how a government forms

After a general election, put the steps of forming a government into order.

• The votes are counted and the MPs for each party are known
• The party with a majority of MPs in the House of Commons is identified
• Its leader is asked to form a government and becomes Prime Minister
• The Prime Minister chooses senior ministers to form the Cabinet
• The government then governs, and must keep the confidence of the Commons

When nobody wins a majority

At an election, Party A wins the most seats but not a majority of all MPs, a situation called a hung parliament. How can a government still be formed?

• Two or more parties can join together to form a coalition with a combined majority, or a single party can govern as a minority with the support of others on key votes
• The country must hold the election again immediately until one party wins a majority
• The largest party always automatically governs alone, majority or not
• The monarch simply chooses which party governs

Words for government

Five terms, each defined so you can use it in a sentence rather than only recognise it.

Tap the two devolved matters

Tap the TWO decisions that would be made by a DEVOLVED parliament or assembly, not by the UK government in London.

• How hospitals are run in Scotland
• How schools are organised in Wales
• The size of the United Kingdom armed forces
• A treaty between the United Kingdom and another country

True of local government

Select the TWO statements that are true of local government.

• Local councils run day-to-day services such as waste collection, local roads and social care
• Councillors are elected by the people who live in the local area
• Local councils decide the defence policy of the United Kingdom
• Local councils are appointed by the Prime Minister

Matching the decision to the level

One routine answers most questions in this topic: ask where a decision belongs. ⭐ Is it about the whole United Kingdom? Defence, foreign affairs and the like are reserved, so they sit with the UK government in London. ⭐ Could it be decided differently in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland? Health, education and similar matters are devolved, so they sit with that nation own parliament or assembly. ⭐ Is it a local service, close to home? Bins, local roads, local schools and social care sit with the local council. ⭐ Then ask who forms the body at that level. At every level the people running it are elected, and at the UK level the government forms from whoever can command a majority of MPs. ⚠️ Keep it neutral. Name no real party and take no side; a strong answer explains how the system works, not who ought to win.

Match each to what it does

The head office and its branches

Leave politics aside and think about a shop with a head office and lots of branches around the country. ⭐ Some decisions are kept at head office, because they affect the whole business: the brand, the prices, the safety rules that must be the same everywhere. ⭐⭐ Other decisions are handed to each branch, because they are best made close to the customer: the opening hours, the local staff rota, which local charity to support. Nobody thinks this is confusing. If you asked who decides the opening hours, the answer is the branch. If you asked who sets the safety rules, the answer is head office. You just have to know which decisions were kept and which were handed down. That is exactly the shape of how the country is run. Some things are kept at the centre for the whole United Kingdom, some are handed to each nation, and some are handled locally, and the skill is simply knowing which is which.

Complete the government facts

After a general election, the party with a _____ of MPs in the House of Commons forms the _____, and its leader becomes the Prime _____. If no party wins outright, two or more parties may join to form a _____. Powers passed down from the UK Parliament to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are called _____. At the most local level, services such as waste collection and local roads are run by a _____.

Build the levels sentence

Assemble a sentence that captures how the country is governed at more than one level.

The levels of government run

Five quick decisions. Three lives.

Which level makes the call

Three different decisions come up. For each, work out which level of government would make it.

• A town wants to change how often its bins are collected. Which level decides?
• Scotland wants to change how its hospitals are organised. Which level decides?
• A decision is needed about the size of the United Kingdom armed forces. Which level decides?

Explain and weigh devolution

Some people argue that more decisions should be made close to home, at devolved or local level, while others argue that important decisions should be made once, for the whole United Kingdom. Evaluate this, using how a government forms and the levels at which the country is governed.

• Explain how a government is formed after an election, including what happens with no overall majority
• Explain the difference between reserved matters and devolved matters, with an example of each
• Give the view that decisions are better made close to home, and the view that they are better made once for the whole United Kingdom, attributing each
• Use the terms devolution and coalition correctly
• Reach a judgement and support it, remembering that no position is being marked as the right one