The return of the Manchester Men: Men's words and men's deeds in the remaking of the local state

The contemporary transformation of local politics in Britain - whereby power is being transferred from elected local authorities to business-led appointed bodies is being characterized increasingly as a shift from government to governance. But a crucial component in this transformation has been neglected: local governance is being 'regendered' in complex and contradictory ways. Drawing upon recent feminist theories of the state, it is argued that, along with business power, male power is being naturalized as the legitimate conduit for effective local governance. The political process in unelected bodies privileges pre-existing male networks while their modus operandi marginalizes and excludes women and women's interests.