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EDITOR’S LETTER


Email: contact’s full name @leisuremedia.com


SUBSCRIPTIONS Denise Gildea


+44 (0)1462 471930 subs@leisuremedia.com


CIRCULATION MANAGER Michael Emmerson +44 (0)1462 471932


EDITOR Liz Terry


+44 (0)1462 431385 MANAGING EDITOR


Magali Robathan +44 (0)117 9723101 CONTRIBUTORS Kate Cracknell


+44 (0)1462 471906 Kathleen Whyman +44 (0)1462 471918


MANAGING EDITOR/NEWS Tom Walker


+44 (0)1462 471934 ASSISTANT EDITOR/NEWS Pete Hayman


+44 (0)1462 471938 LEISURE-KIT.NET Martin Nash


+44 (0)1462 471927 PUBLISHER John Challinor


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+44 (0)1462 471902 Astrid Ros


+44 (0)1462 471911 Jan Williams


+44 (0)1462 471909 ADVERTISING ARTWORK Ed Gallagher


+44 (0)1905 20198 DESIGN


Andy Bundy


+44 (0)1462 471924 INTERNET Dean Fox


+44 (0)1462 471900 Emma Harris


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FINANCIAL CONTROL Sue Davis


+44 (0)1395 519398 FINANCIAL ADMIN Denise Gildea


+44 (0)1462 471930 CREDIT CONTROL Rebekah Scott


+44 (0)1462 431385 ISSUE 2 2012 © cybertrek 2012


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Read Leisure Management online leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital 3 Leisure Management works in partnership with THE FUTURE OF THE DCMS I


n February, the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) staged a panel discussion on the sub- ject ‘Should we abolish the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)?’ The event can be viewed on the IEA’s web- site (http://lei.sr?a=Z0T8w). It has triggered rumblings which have continued since, prompting Harriet Harmon to write in the Evening Standard last week that well placed sources in Whitehall are indicating the matter of abolishing the DCMS after the Olympics is under serious discussion and to call on the govern- ment to make its position clear. I found the IEA ‘discussion’ hard to watch for two reasons. Firstly, the panellists’ sneer- ing contempt for the work of our industries and secondly, their shocking lack of knowl- edge of their economic and social value. And although it was billed as such, it wasn’t a ‘dis- cussion’, as no-one involved spoke for the DCMS, it was simply an attack and in my opin- ion, conducted without any degree of rigour. It took decades of lobbying before the


emerging leisure industries were deemed important enough politically and economically to merit their own ministry, and the creation of the Department of National Heritage (DNH) in 1992 marked a coming of age for the sec- tor, which needed this support, coordination and legislative focus to realise its potential. But in these times of cuts, it’s necessary to keep everything under review and rather than being defensive, we must question how effectively the DCMS has been developed in its 20 year lifespan, ask whether it’s every- thing we need it to be and consider whether it has fulfi lled its role as a key partner and champion of our creative, dynamic industries.


The DCMS was assessed by speakers at the Institute for Economic Aff airs as having ‘second rate civil servants’, ‘by far the smallest budget in Whitehall’ and being too marginal a department for ambitious politicians who want to build a career


It’s bruising to see our ministry being mauled as it was during the IEA event – where it was assessed by speakers as having ‘by far the smallest budget in Whitehall’, with bumbling, ‘second rate civil servants’ and being too marginal a department for ambi- tious politicians who want to build a career. Although the leisure industries as we know them today are only a few decades old, lei- sure is now the largest area of consumer expenditure, a major job and wealth genera- tor, a driving force behind the UK’s tourism industry and a contributor to the health of the nation, yet we are still failing to get this mes- sage across to government and stakeholders and we remain vulnerable as a result. If the DCMS’s responsibilities are farmed out to other ministries as part of a cost sav- ing exercise, we will have to acknowledge that, as an industry, we failed to infl uence and shape the development of our dedicated ministry and failed to lobby effectively to prove the worth of our sector. Both would be bitter pills to swallow and we need to act now if we are to avoid this outcome.


Liz Terry, Editor Twitter @elizterry


Read leisure management online: www.leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital


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