Pinch, in 1987, concluded that changing patterns of preschool services in England from 1977 to 1983 revealed a pattern of improvement in metropolitan areas dominated by the new left and cuts in Conservative-dominated shire counties. In this paper it is argued that Pinch's approach was too simplistic, because he did not differentiate between private and public services, took little account of other determinants of service change, and too readily grasped the influence of the new left as a determining factor. In this paper service change from 1977 to 1988 is assessed and it is found that, although there were political party effects on provision levels and provision change, these were reflected in different responses to local socioeconomic conditions. Provision in Conservative councils was notably affected by local wealth differences, whereas services in Labour areas appeared to be more responsive to female employment and local occupational structures.
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