ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines participation levels in sport in England across socio-demographic groups between 2008 and 2014 in the context of austerity measures implemented by central government that resulted in local authority income and expenditure reductions. It investigates the impacts of ‘super-austerity’ upon third sector sport organizations in England and how they negotiate both relationships with local and central government, as well as implications of an increasingly constrained fiscal climate. The book focuses on disability sport, noting that Coalition and Conservative governments post-2010 have ‘reformed’ disability benefits, which has had a negative effect on participation. It utilises data from Sport England’s National Benchmarking Service to examine the performance of public sport facilities over a period beginning 2005/6 and ending 2015/16. The book explores the management of budget cuts in Edinburgh’s sport and recreation services.
