Assesses the arguments about the poll tax. It places the specific proposals within the framework of the national and international context of local government finance and attempts to determine what the parameters are to reform.

Introduction; Chapter One Chapter One Local Government in Britain: Rationale, Structure and Finance, Ken Young; Chapter Two Chapter Two The Recent History of Local Fiscal Reform, Peter G. Richards; Chapter Three Chapter Three The Politicisation of Local Government, John Berridge; Chapter Four Chapter Four The Legal Limits of Local Autonomy, Chris Himsworth; Chapter Five Chapter Five A Poll Tax for Britain?, Clive Martlew, Stephen J. Bailey; Chapter Six Chapter Six Local Freedom and Central Control — A Question of Balance, Tom Wilson; Chapter Seven Chapter Seven Rates Reform and the Housing Market, Gordon A. Hughes; Chapter Eight Chapter Eight The Future Role of Grants in Local Government Finance, David King; Chapter Nine Chapter Nine Non-Domestic Rates and Local Taxation of Business, Robert J. Bennett; Chapter Ten Chapter Ten Local Government Finance and Macroeconomic Policy, Richard Jackman; Chapter Eleven Chapter Eleven The British Reform in Its International Context, Ronan Paddison; Chapter Twelve Chapter Twelve CONCLUSION;

"Given the current crisis in adolescent mental health services, this timely handbook is a valuable and enlightening contribution to discussion, training and education. It explains the why and how of substance misuse among young people and gives guidance on what to do. The overall framing derives from addiction psychiatry but is relevant to all professions in today’s multi-disciplinary, multi-agency set of services. Succinct, clear and accessible chapters include comprehensive literature and evidence reviews, demonstrate the critical issue of complexity and show the way forward for prevention and early intervention." - Professor Susanne MacGregor, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine "Drug use generally starts when people are young so it is vital to understand the roles played by various factors in order to improve prevention, minimise immediate and enduring associated harms and optimise treatment. This book brings together a range of experts to provide the latest evidence alongside pragmatic advice in all these areas. It is a vital resource as specialist knowledge and services may be hard to access resulting in a large unmet need." - Professor Anne Lingford-Hughes, Professor of Addiction Biology, Imperial College London & Hon Consultant Psychiatrist, Central North West London NHS Foundation Trust