Big Society or Self Preservation Society

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As I discuss with my colleague the collection of funds for Help for Heroes a popular UK charity, I briefly reflect on the potential demise of the " Big Society". Prime Minister David Cameron announced on the 16th July 2010 the beginning of a new era in the social contract between the UK government and its citizens the "Big Society". In his Big Society speech Mr. Cameron envisaged the empowerment of charities, citizens, private businesses and community organisations to innovate, manage and deliver public services. Community empowerment, social action and public service reform underpin the philosophy of the Big Society. David Cameron fully understands that economic stability can only be sustained by social stability so he issued a clarion call for the creation of a new approach to national development the "Big Society".
In the eight months since that famous speech why is the Big Society failing? It is failing in the three main galvanizing areas which the Prime Minister outlined in his Big Society speech Decentralization, Transparency and Financing. 


Decentralization
The Big Society has its own peer Lord Wei ex-McKinsey consultant and Oxford graduate with a desire to finance social change using bonds and mutual funds. The Big Society has its own government office - the Office for Civil Society... herein lies a recipe for red tape.

Transparency
In its inception the Office for Civil Society issued a press release outlining its contribution to the government austerity measures by cutting its budget to the voluntary sector and social enterprises by £11 million. However this openness does not extend to disclosure of operating costs and budgets for either the Big Society project or the Office for Civil Society.

Financing
With government contributions to the voluntary sector falling victim to budgetary cuts; the severity of these measures has as affected some Local Authorities disproportionately one such local authority Liverpool City Council has lost £100 million in area based grants has opted out of the Big Society pilot program and has joined instead the "self preservation society". There is always the option of using Lord Wei's model of  raising bonds and other financial instruments to support financial capital with free social capital or was it the the other way around.

In contrast Help for Heroes a grassroots charity that was established by a HM forces veteran and his wife to provide support to servicemen and women wounded since 9/11 is committed to transparency its financial performance is available on the website's homepage and sustainable financing without exploiting its social capital - a vast network of volunteers which includes celebrities such as David Beckham and Jeremy Clarkson. Help for Heroes is an example of the "Big Society" in action without being political... surprisingly they are not affected by budget cuts.