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Book part
Publication date: 11 July 2023

Alex G. Gillett and Kevin D. Tennent

This chapter focusses on entrepreneurship and policies of public services in England, specifically leisure centre provision in the UK during the late twentieth century. The…

Abstract

This chapter focusses on entrepreneurship and policies of public services in England, specifically leisure centre provision in the UK during the late twentieth century. The central role played by local authorities in sport provision was complimented by an increasing cadre of leisure sector professionals and with increasing architectural interest in the provision of leisure. The institutional context was framed by the Sports Development Council (SDC) after 1965 together with the broader action of local authorities who aimed to provide their ratepayers with access to improved sport and leisure services. The resulting leisure centres were perhaps a way to signal the prestige of local authorities but were expensive investments. The capability of local authorities was boosted by the local government reforms of the 1970s, which merged districts, pooling their resources. The possibility of support from private capital and after 1973 from the European Economic Community (EEC) also provided new opportunities for the organizational form. Eventually, there was a shift in emphasis from the provision of organized sport to that of more individualized and commercialized “leisure” as a product. Whether or not this achieved the long-term aims of central government, to improve access to sport and to tackle urban challenges, remains questionable. However, the story of leisure provision in the UK remains one of remarkable public sector entrepreneurship within an institutional context.

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Collective Entrepreneurship in the Contemporary European Services Industries: A Long Term Approach
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80117-950-8

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Book part
Publication date: 11 July 2023

Abstract

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Collective Entrepreneurship in the Contemporary European Services Industries: A Long Term Approach
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80117-950-8

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Book part
Publication date: 16 September 2019

James Fowler

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London Transport: A Hybrid in History 1905–1948
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78973-953-4

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Book part
Publication date: 3 September 2021

James Fowler

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Strategy and Managed Decline: London Transport 1948–87
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80043-189-8

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Book part
Publication date: 15 June 2020

Diana Kelly

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The Red Taylorist: The Life and Times of Walter Nicholas Polakov
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78769-985-4

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