Robust Local Governance Responses in the Context of Turbulence: The Case of Collaborative and Co‐Created COVID‐19 Pandemic Responses in Two Local Authority Areas in England

Abstract

ABSTRACT The COVID‐19 pandemic required local and national governments to respond urgently and rapidly to new and unprecedented challenges. According to an influential strand of literature within public administration, public agencies must exhibit robust governance strategies to tackle the unpredictability, instability and complexity of a turbulent event such as the COVID‐19. In the face of turbulence, robust governance is characterised by adaptability, agility and innovation and co‐creating with partners and communities, while governance systems must evolve so that they perform more effectively in the future. This paper examines how two local authorities in England responded to the pandemic. We draw upon a novel qualitative dataset obtained through privileged access to senior council staff, elected members and council partners. Both ‘Metaltown’ (North West) and ‘Milltown’ (West Midlands) were poised, at the outset of the pandemic, to be badly hit by COVID‐19 due to their population characteristics, relative deprivation and occupational structures, and the areas did experience some of the highest numbers of infection rates and coronavirus‐related deaths. The two local responses both entailed multi‐agency action with the local authority working alongside partners in the police, emergency services, health, education, transport and housing sectors, with private enterprise and with community groups to manage the challenges. Although we observed robust governance strategies, this occurred in the absence of any deliberate policy design at the national level. Instead, the responses were locally determined, fit for purpose and adaptive in response to challenges that emerged on the ground. The findings suggest a need to modify the robust governance framework to better account for contextually specific circumstances. This has implications for how local and national governments respond to current and future challenges, such as the ongoing cost‐of‐living and climate crises.

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