Vertical consolidation and voter turnout: evidence from England

Structural reforms to local government have complex effects on electoral participation, especially when they involve the abolition of multiple tiers of government through the vertical consolidation of small authorities providing neighbourhood services and large authorities providing strategic services. Using a synthetic difference-in-differences approach, this paper analyses voter turnout across 13 election cycles (1973–2021) in five two-tier counties in England that were consolidated into single tier unitary authorities in 2009. The results suggest voter turnout increased in consolidated counties, a finding that could be explained by the smaller number of candidates per seat and weaker effective party competition in the initial period after consolidation. The implications of these findings are discussed.