Relational by default? Inserting elected officials into relational public service debates

This article makes a significant contribution to the academic literature on relational public services by foregrounding the often-overlooked role of elected councillors. While existing scholarship largely centres on relationships between professionals and citizens, this study addresses a critical gap by conceptualizing councillors as key relational actors. Drawing on qualitative interviews with councillors in English local government, the article demonstrates that relational work—such as building trust, facilitating problem-solving, and interpreting community needs—is central to councillor practice. The article contributes to theory by reframing relationality as not only embedded in frontline service delivery but also in local political representation and governance. Additionally, the article extends the literature by examining how austerity, digitalization, and rising public hostility reshape relational dynamics, highlighting both the productive and “dark” sides of relationality. In doing so, it challenges overly optimistic accounts and calls for a more inclusive and realistic understanding of relational public services that incorporates political actors and contested social conditions.