IAP2 UK & Ireland Symposium

“Public Participation Means Business”

Thursday 21 October 2010

Scarborough Spa Complex
Programme for the day
Programme for the day
 The ‘Big Society’
What is the Policy and Vision?

Nicky Leggatt
What is the ‘Big Society’?
• Government ambition to put more
power and opportunity into the
hands of citizens, communities
and local government

• It’s about delivering the reform,

renewal, fairness and change
Britain needs to make society
bigger and stronger than ever
before.
 What is the ‘Big Society’?
• Social action: "Government ... must
foster and support a new culture of
voluntarism, philanthropy, social action.“

• Public service reform: "We' ve got to get

rid of the centralised bureaucracy that
wastes money and undermines morale.“

• Community empowerment: "We need

to create communities with oomph –
neighbourhoods who are in charge of
their own destiny, who feel if they club
together and get involved they can shape
the world around them.“
 What is the ‘Big Society’?
• Decentralisation: redistribution of power
– the agenda won’t be planned centrally,
initiatives are planned and led locally

• Transparency: redistribution of
knowledge - the state will stop
withholding ifnroation that would allow a
much wider range of actors to identify
social needs and propose new ways of
meeting them.

• Providing finance: redistribution of

money – money goes straight to
wherever or whoever can use it
effectively
What is the ‘Big Society’?

“From a central government

point of view there is no
agenda other than to learn
how we can best help each
community achieve their own
vision of the Big Society.”

(The Rt Hon Greg Clark MP)

The fundamentals for
decentralisation
• Right to Know: how much is being spent
and on what?

• Right to Know: producers/consumers

should be able to change the way public
resources are deployed

• Change the nature of central

government: turn central government
upside down. Instead of the civil service
being focused upwards and inwards on its
priorities drive focus downards and
outwards and put resources at the service
of communities nationwide.
Growing the ‘Big Society’
1 Give communities more power

Encourage people to take an active role in

2 their communities

3 Transfer power from central to local

government

4 Support co-ops, mutuals, charities and social

enterprises

5 Publish government data

Growing the ‘Big Society’
1 Give communities more power

2 • Planning system reforms

• New community powers over local facilities
3 • Training ‘community organisers’

5
Growing the ‘Big Society’
1 Encourage people to take an active role in
their communities

2
• Encourage volunteering (e.g. national ‘Big
Society Day’)
3 • Encourage philanthropy
• National Citizen Service for 16 year olds
4

5
Growing the ‘Big Society’
1 Transfer power from central to local
government

2
• Devolution of power to local government
• Greater power of competence for councils
3 • Abolish Regional Spatial Strategies

5
Growing the ‘Big Society’
Support co-ops, mutuals, charities and social
1
enterprises

2 • Greater involvement in running public services

• Empower public sector workers
3 • Big Society Bank using dormant bank accounts

5
Growing the ‘Big Society’
Publish government data
1

• ‘Right to data’ – accessible and published

2
• Publication of local crime statistics

5
Call to arms!
“I want forward-thinking, entrepreneurial,
community-minded people and neighbourhoods
in our country to come forward and ask for the
same freedoms, the same support too.

If you’ve got an idea to make life better, if you want

to improve your local area, don’t just think about
it – tell us what you want to do and we will try
and give you the tools to make this happen”

David Cameron (Prime Minister)

What does Britain think?

or
What does Britain think?
• We don’t really know what ‘Big Society’ means –
how do we know if its working?
• ‘Social action’ is already happening – this isn’t a
new idea
• People haven’t got the time, money or energy to
do more
• Is this about creating stronger communities or
just about cutting services?
What does Britain think?
• It’s a good idea in principle but where will the
money come from?
• We always expect people to do things for us –
this is a great opportunity to change that attitude
• This can help build back trust in politicians