Obituary: William Plowden

Published on Wednesday 28 July 2010 20:45

Government advisor who 40 years ago predicted the decline of the high street

Born: 7 February, 1935, in London.

Died: 26 June, 2010, in Gloucestershire, aged 75.

During his dual career as a civil servant and academic, William Plowden sought to enrich the lives of the general public by identifying ways in which Whitehall - and other government administrations - could best serve its people.

William Julius Lowthian Plowden was educated at Eton College and Kings College, Cambridge. His undergraduate degree was followed by a PhD before he crossed the Atlantic to spend time at Berkeley as a Harkness fellow.

As the eldest son of Lord Edwin and Lady Bridget Plowden, both public servants, Plowden was indoctrinated in to public administration from an early age, exposed to the orthodox beliefs and conventional views of the establishment. It was his time away from Great Britain, however, that enabled him to take a more objective stance on the role of government.

The social and cultural development of the USA was taking place much faster than in his home nation. An entirely different demographic and topography, strip malls and out-of-town shopping marquees were becoming more prevalent there and Plowden was to bear witness to the death of the traditional shopping centres. He later wrote about his prediction of the fall of the high street in The Motor Car and Politics, published in 1971. Despite being nearly 40 years old, this was described at a recent conference as still being a radical text.

Plowden returned to London in 1958 to become a staff writer at the Economist. A year later he successfully completed the civil service exam and joined the Board of Trade.

Following marriage to Veronica in 1960 and a five-year stint within government he re-entered academia as a lecturer in government at London School of Economics (LSE) in 1965. He remained affiliated with LSE for the next 45 years, returning in stages as a visiting professor in 1982 for six years and again in 2002 until his death.

In 1971 he moved from LSE back in to government as part of then prime minister's newly-formed Central Policy Review Staff (CPRS), inevitably dubbed the "Think Tank". The role of the CPRS was to advise the cabinet on strategy. In this role he proved to be an instrumental force, with his primary objective being the interaction between government departments.

Plowden was well aware that each government department considered itself an island, working towards its own policies and objectives, irrespective of the external impacts. His primary concern was the effect policy had on the public, and how best to co-ordinate policy to ensure that conflict was kept to a minimum. In his own words, Plowden felt that "ministers need to ensure that their priorities are adequately reflected in policies which are actually being carried out and that, in practice, these policies are having the effects intended".

In 1975 the CPRS published A Joint Framework for Social Policies, and while some sectors of government viewed the ideas presented favourably, the Treasury was less than enthusiastic. Margaret Thatcher had the CPRS abolished in 1983, which promoted the publication Inside the Think Tank, written by Plowden and his colleague, Tessa Blackstone. The first draft was blocked by the government, due to the information and views divulged, and such was the furore over the content that a change in publishers was required in order to get the version the authors wanted in to the public realm.

For a decade from 1978 Plowden was also the director of the Royal Institute of Public Administration before becoming the director of the UK Harkness fellowships in New York, a role he held until 1991. His association with the Harkness fellowships continued, when he became the senior adviser in London from 1991 to 1998. During this time he was involved in a "radical revision of the programme" enabling a variety of research studies in the USA.

A natural progression from this position was secretary to the Harkness Fellows Association, where his extensive knowledge and list of contacts contributed to the success of various events.

LSE provided a suitable research and writing environment and his views and opinions were in demand. His ability to provide succinct and workable ideas in to how governments can co-ordinate decision and policy making was utilised by many countries, from Russia to Mozambique. During this time he identified an inequity between the vision of aid organisations and what was actually practicable.

Plowden remained academically active well in to his 70s. He also held a number of research professorships, including honorary professor of politics at Warwick University.

He was a world traveller but had two stable bases, in London and Gloucestershire. His love of the countryside was highlighted by his purchase of a wood in 2003 and his interest in transport issues meant he often cycled around London. He had many hobbies, including painting, and was particularly passionate about steam trains.

William Plowden died of a stroke. He is survived by his wife Veronica and their four children.