Big Society

David Cameron envisages the Big Society as one where people 'feel both free and powerful enough to help themselves and their own communities'. That sounds very appealing, both in its emphasis on empowerment and self-help, and in its potential for cost savings in this time of public spending cuts …

I doubt whether 'timidity' or 'reticence' are the first words on the lips of many people who have followed the coalition government’s announcements since the general election. Simplification of the benefits system is a case in point. On localism  too, where the level of ambition and action so far could not really be described as timid.

This week, we’ve heard more detail about the Coalition Government plans for 'Big Society'. While the schemes announced may be new ones, the ideas and philosophy behind them aren’t new at all.

A backdrop of global upheaval set the scene for a series of seminars on community assets (PDF, 210KB). Julian Dobson reports from the launch event.