By Richard Johnstone
16 May 2011
The government should give councils clear rules on their role in the Big Society to avoid the project being lost amid cuts, an influential report has found today.
The cross-party Commission on Big Society has marked the anniversary of launch of the policy by calling on Prime Minister David Cameron to ‘fill in the blanks’ by providing a clear definition what it is trying to achieve.
The report, Powerfulpeople, responsible society, urges Cameron to take personal responsibility for a clear plan to develop the Big Society, while warning that cuts to local authorities risk undermining it.
The report recommends that central government set more ‘rules of the road’ for local authorities. Research by the commission found that almost seven out of ten members of the public believe councils should not be allowed to make disproportionate cuts to the voluntary sector.
It also recommends that if a council chooses to provide services directly rather than through external providers, it must be required to demonstrate reasons for doing so, either public interest or long-term value for money.
The commission was chaired by Lord Rennard, a former chief executive of the Liberal Democrats, and also included Labour and Conservative politicians.
It was set up by the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations last December to establish the role for civil society within the Big Society. The report found there is a risk that the voluntary sector could be alienated by the proposals, with only 8% of leaders thinking government had a good understanding of them.
The report also calls for the government to scrap plans for a ‘Big Society bank holiday’, with employees able instead to request time off for voluntary activity.
Rennard said that the Big Society policy could transcend party politics, but added there had been a ‘failure to communicate [the] plans effectively’.
Nick Boles, a Conservative MP and member of the commission, was critical that ‘the leadership shown by Number 10 and the Cabinet Office has not been matched by all government departments and local authorities’.
He added: ‘These gaps need to be addressed if we are to realise the full potential of the Big Society.’
Other members of the Commission included Lord Boateng, the former Labour chief secretary to the Treasury.
