Community involvement in leisure provision-private enterprise or public interest?

An analysis is made of a 'community involvement' approach which ostensibly was concerned to involve the local community in decisions concerning leisure policy, and thereby solve the problems of mis-match between provision and needs. However, like other areas of public participation, the various committees and other informal channels of communication were dominated by a well-organized, articulate, socially and politically well-connected minority. Rather than effecting a redistribution of access to decision making, the 'community involvement' initiatives strengthened the control of already privileged groups. However, from the council's perspective, this outcome was not necessarily a failure. As with most areas of leisure policy there was a 'hidden agenda'. In this case the concern was not so much to meet community leisure needs, but to co-opt opposition, reduce criticism of the council and reduce financial expenditure by devolving responsibility for the management of facilities.