The politics of leisure policy (public policy and politics)

The last two decades have seen an explosion in leisure activities and leisure provision in Britain and major changes in its form and nature. This book provides a systematic account of the impact of social, economic and cultural change on demand for leisure and of the response of politicians, professionals and service providers. The book assesses the impact of a range of ideologies on leisure provision, concluding that New Right ideas in particular have played a major role in shaping the pattern of sports, arts, countryside and other leisure policies during the Thatcher decade. As a consequence, Ian Henry argues, economic considerations have come to predominate over social, aesthetic and conservationist criteria for state involvement in leisure provision – a trend reinforced by the impact of privatisation and contracting out of services and the development of huge congromerates in the private leisure industry.