Putting Big Society into practice
One of the problems with Big Society is the basic assumption that citizens not only understand what it is meant to be, but engage in it.
It takes exceptional charismatic leadership – with some sort of obvious emergency thrown in – that moves an individual to respond to a Kitcheneresque ‘Your country needs you’.
Although we might be ‘all in this together’ in terms of dealing with the budget deficit, the call to give more money and time needs to strike a personal chord. Cliff Prior hit the nail on the head (as chief executive of UnLtd, he provides support to UK social entrepreneurs) when he told me: “Big society is the wrong way round. You start with a personal passion and it’s only once you are doing something about it that you see how wider issues affect your actions.” He develops this further in his essay in ResPublica’s latest book Changing the Debate: The Ideas Redefining Britain. “It is just no longer tenable for governments to think they can work out the solutions to all needs and specify how they should be delivered: people want the space to help make their own world.
”In fairness, the government is doing a lot more listening than it used to. Leonard Cheshire Disability’s Clare Pelham (see page 37) told me how she and other charity chief executives were invited to Number Ten as part of the NHS listening exercise. She said “David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Andrew Lansley really listened and they left that room absolutely certain about what disabled people wanted from that legislation and the outcomes that would make their lives better.” She also went on to explain to me the she thought ‘U’ turns from governments were not a sign of weakness. “What you want from elected representatives is to listen and to act on the evidence provided”, she added. I agree with this. It was also encouraging to hear from ResPublica that the think-tank’s recommendations on modernising Gift Aid (see page 33 of Caritas, July 2011) are being taken seriously by HM Treasury.
And so it is in the spirit of listening that the panel on the Independence of the Voluntary Sector is seeking views on the state of independence and has drawn up a ‘Barometer’ of questions. It is important that people read this report, think through how characteristics such as independence of purpose, action and voice apply to them and their charities – and respond by the deadline of 21 September. Further background is available in the news section of the Caritas website.
But once the listening is done and the framework put in place, everybody has to get on with making things happen and there will be inevitable compromises from the government, from charities and from commissioners. Consultation is a vital and meaningful part of a change process – but can’t be an excuse to just do nothing later.
Author: Clarissa Dann
Clarissa Dann was the editor of Caritas as well as an HR and management online service,he People Bulletin until July 2011.
She is now the editor of the specialist trade finance magazine, Trade and Forfaiting Review which can be viewed at www.tfreview.com but does write on charity finance and investment from time to time.
Clarissa has a background in legal and professional publishing, as well as business journalism and holds an MBA from
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