In 1974 local government in England underwent external and internal reform. The external reforms involved changes in governmental structures and functions, while the internal reforms involved the introduction of "corporate management," a concept stressing more centralized administration and fewer local executive bodies. This paper first traces the development of these reforms before describing the effects of the reforms on educational services in one newly created county, Ridleyshire. Using document analysis and interviews with senior education officials and school heads, the case study looks at the areas of educational objectives, policy planning, policy implementation and management, and performance review processes. The findings indicate, despite the intent of the reforms, that educational objectives are determined and planning performed by appointed education officials, not elected members of county committees; that policy implementation and management are delegated to appointed officials; and that performance reviews have not been carried out. Comparison of these findings with those from an earlier study of four governmental districts reveals that the reforms' impacts were the same in both cases. In his conclusion, the author speculates on the reasons for the failure to install corporate management as envisioned under the reforms. (Author/RW)