Policy rhetoric around strategies to and the value of increasing participation in the arts has been well documented internationally over more than a decade. But in the UK, which is the focus for this article, targets to increase participation have been consistently missed and there remains a direct correlation between those taking part in cultural activity and their socio-economic status.The starting point for this article is to examine the barriers to increasing participation in the arts and question the way that such policy has been implemented within the English context, which may have relevance for policy making in other countries. What is demonstrated is that policy implementation is influenced by vested interest of those in receipt of funding and that a narrow range of voices, from a powerful cultural elite, are involved in the decision making in the arts. The article makes a case for widening the range of voices heard in decision making in order to support both artistic practice and public engagement.

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is a Senior Lecturer in events management, specialising in the arts, festivals management and cultural policy. She is coordinator of the Yorkshire Festivals Network and a knowledge exchange network on participation and engagement in the arts. She is also a council member for Arts Council England, Yorkshire. Previously Leila worked in the arts for twenty years as a producer, researcher and policy maker. During which time she worked with Arts Council England, a number of local authorities, audience development agencies and numerous arts organisations. She has managed cultural programmes from small scale touring to the Cultural Programme of the Manchester Commonwealth Games. Her current research focus is on cultural policy, participation and engagement in the arts.

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