This thesis analyses strategic change management in English local government and suggests the most appropriate leadership and management approaches for achieving successful organisational change. Using a model of organic evolution, the research identifies and analyses three distinctive stages in the development of management systems and practices in local government. These stages can be identified as: traditional, corporate and strategic approaches. A sample of eight local authorities representing two from each of the major English authority types was selected. Extensive qualitative research enabled the classification of the authorities using the following typology: namely transactional, community leadership and business culture. Each type is representative of one of the three evolutionary stages. With reference to each of the identified three stages of evolutionary development, the role of the chief executive in each of the authorities in successfully managing change was assessed. The purpose is to establish which management type provided the most effective change management environment. This assessment took place on two levels. Firstly, the qualitative research addressed the perceptions of the chief executives' change management agenda on the part of the strategic actors on both sides of the managerial/political interface within each authority. They were identified as the chief executive, the chief officers and the leading elected members. These perceptions were then used to develop the management typology noted above. Following the development of the management typology, an extensive survey of the attitudes of both middle managers and street-level operatives towards the change management process was conducted in the eight local authorities. This quantitative research revealed the perceptions of those individuals on whom change has the greatest impact. Following the analysis of the data generated by both the qualitative and quantitative research, the most effective leadership and change management strategies for local government in England are suggested. The conclusion is therefore that the most effective model for change management for local government is a hybrid organisation combining strengths from two of the evolutionary management stages.