The 1985 European Charter of Local Self-Government secures the autonomy of local government within states and sets the standards for subsidiary at the local level. Chris Himsworth analyses the text of the 1985 European Charter of Local Self-Government, traces its historical emergence and explains how it has been applied and interpreted throughout Europe, including the 2014' Local and regional democracy in the United Kingdom' report published by the Council of Europe in March 2014. Locating the Charter's own history within the broader recent history of the Council of Europe and the European Union, the book closes with an assessment of the Charter's future prospects.