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EDITOR’S LETTER
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Liz Terry
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Magali Robathan
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THE FUTURE OF THE DCMS
In February, the Institute
of Economic Affairs
The DCMS was assessed by
(IEA) staged a panel
speakers at the Institute for
discussion on the subject
‘Should we abolish the
Economic Affairs as having
Department for Culture, Media
‘second rate civil servants’,
and Sport (DCMS)’ The event
‘by far the smallest budget
can be viewed on the IEA’s website
(http://lei.sra=Z0T8w).
in Whitehall’ and being too
marginal a department for
It has triggered rumblings
which have continued since,
ambitious politicians who
prompting Harriet Harmon to
want to build a career
write in the Evening Standard
last week that well placed
sources in Whitehall are indicating the matter of It’s bruising to see our ministry being
abolishing the DCMS after the Olympics is under mauled as it was during the IEA event –
serious discussion and to call on the government
to make its position clear.
‘by far the smallest budget in Whitehall’, with
where it was assessed by speakers as having
I found the IEA ‘discussion’ hard to watch bumbling, ‘second rate civil servants’ and
for two reasons. Firstly, the panellists’ sneering
contempt for the work of our industries tious politicians who want to build a career.
being too marginal a department for ambi-
and secondly, their shocking lack of knowledge
of their economic and social value. And them today are only a few decades old, lei-
Although the leisure industries as we know
although it was billed as such, it wasn’t a ‘discussion’,
as no-one involved spoke for the expenditure, a major job and wealth generasure
is now the largest area of consumer
DCMS, it was simply an attack and in my opinion,
conducted without any degree of rigour. industry and a contributor to the health of the
tor, a driving force behind the UK’s tourism
It took decades of lobbying before the nation, yet we are still failing to get this message
across to government and stakeholders
emerging leisure industries were deemed
important enough politically and economically and we remain vulnerable as a result.
to merit their own ministry, and the creation If the DCMS’s responsibilities are farmed
of the Department of National Heritage (DNH) out to other ministries as part of a cost saving
exercise, we will have to acknowledge
in 1992 marked a coming of age for the sector,
which needed this support, coordination that, as an industry, we failed to infl uence
and legislative focus to realise its potential. and shape the development of our dedicated
But in these times of cuts, it’s necessary ministry and failed to lobby effectively to
to keep everything under review and rather prove the worth of our sector. Both would be
than being defensive, we must question how bitter pills to swallow and we need to act now
effectively the DCMS has been developed in if we are to avoid this outcome.
its 20 year lifespan, ask whether it’s everything
we need it to be and consider whether Liz Terry, Editor Twitter @elizterry
it has fulfi lled its role as a key partner and Read leisure management online:
champion of our creative, dynamic industries. www.leisuremanagement.co.uk/digital
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