Local Authority Sports Provision for the Unemployed: The UK Experience

Abstract

Unemployment calls into question the role of leisure in the lives of people without paid work. In principle, unemployed people have large amounts of time available for leisure; leisure might also yield benefits traditionally derived from work. In practice, though, the leisure prospects of the unemployed are limited by low incomes, loss of social contacts and status, stigma, and loss of confidence Many public sector leisure providers in the United Kingdom have responded by devising leisure (especially sports) policies and provisions specifically aimed at the unemployed. This paper, based on a national census of local authorities, introduces the policy issues, describes the nature and extent of the policy response, and examines the operation of provisions in practice.