Abstract
This paper discusses how municipal mergers have influenced the council of social welfare in Nikko City, which faces depopulation problems and an aging community. Based on a survey of the council staff, the study focuses on the following points of view: 1) unification of the councils, 2) expansion of the service area, and 3) promotion of the local governance. As a result of the investigation, the following is made clear. The advantages in the post-consolidated social welfare councils are: improvement in service standards, diversification of service options, substantiality of staff with various specialties and rich information. On the other hand, the disadvantages are: abolition of previous projects, confusion caused by increasing contact organizations, weakening relationships between councils and welfare groups because of personnel shifting, remote location of councils for users, and delays in decision-making. In conclusion, the analysis in this paper makes practical suggestions to social welfare councils from these perspectives.
