Big Society - Business Plan

THE CABINET OFFICE published its Business Plan earlier this week announcing the launch of its Big Society proposals.

The aim of the Big Society according to the Plan is to "promote community empowerment, open up public services and encourage social action." It will include:

• a training programme, launched in April 2011, to train a new generation of community organisers. 800 community organisers are expected to be trained by March 2012;
• a Communities First fund to support the creation of neighbourhood groups through small grants and endowments will start in May 2011;
• a Big Society Bank using £60m funds from dormant bank accounts will be established by April 2011 to enable charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to have access to funding to take over the running of public services;
• a taskforce has been set up to investigate bureaucratic burdens and 'red-tape' on the voluntary and community sector and provide recommendations on how to reduce them (see Big Society 'red tape' purge);
• a Transition Fund will be available from January 2011 to support voluntary groups, charities and social enterprises in modernising, and becoming more entrepreneurial;
• a National Citizen Service pilot programme aimed at encouraging volunteering and social action from 16 year olds, will be in place from September 2011, with 30,000 involved by September 2012.

The Big Society has been the focus of much debate since the General Election with various descriptions of what it might be being put forward by politicians and other commentators. Now at last with the publication of the Business Plan we have definite proposals - for better or worse - to debate.