"Dave" wrote in message
...
David Boothroyd writes
No, that was the system of local Government foisted on London by
the
Tories in the mid-80s.

No, I included that. At least there were elected Borough Councils
then.
There weren't in 1856-89.

Elected Borough Councils who were tightly controlled by the
Government
(in particular their budgets);

....which was a very good thing given the tenuous grip on reality many
of them had at that time which was, lest we forget, the height of the
'Loony Left' era