• Big Society news
• Big Society: reports, research, analysis

'Big Society': news

• Big Society: Did you think it was over?   
• Big Society Bank gets new name, chair and chief executive (28 July)
• Big Society overlooks children, says report (21 June)
• National Citizen Service may charge young people to volunteer (16 June)
• Big Society Bank may have to change name and be delayed (14June)
• Lord Wei quits as Big Society chief advisor (24 May)
• Big Society to be relaunched   A new white paper is also being launched to encourage charitable donations through methods such as cash machines. (23 May)
• ACEVO urges government to improve co-ordination of Big Society (16 May)
• Outlines for Big Society Bank approved (9 May)
• Commercial terms offered to Big Society Bank (5 May)
• Big Society 'vanguard' areas to get £100,000 each (27 April)
• Big Society that already exists is being dismantled   Brian Carr lays out his concerns in a Guardian Voluntary Sector Network blog.
• Civil society? Civic Society?  Spot the difference 
• Hansard Society survey: Annual Audit of Political Engagement   Only one in ten are willing to volunteer; and those most likely to volunteer are well off under 45's. But since May last year, more people are more interested in politics; this interest is not carried through to actually voting, however. 
• How will new laws affect the voluntary sector?   Lord Rennard wants all legislation to have a voluntary sector impact assessment - just as assessments for environmental, equality and human rights impact are required. 
• Big Society dealt a blow in Balsall Heath, Birmingham   St Paul’s Community Development Trust, a beacon for Big Society, is to close its youth services due to cuts. (11 March)
• Chelmsford increases voluntary budget to support Big Society (7 March)
• Big Society Bank: Catch up with discussions in Parliament (2 March)
• Brotherhood of St. Laurence: Big Society example in Yarra, Australia
• Prime Minister negotiating Big Society TV adverts (25 February)
• Axes hangs over landmark 'Big Society' centre (23 February)
• Locality to run community organisers programme (18 February)
• PM: Big Society Bank will help social enterprise (14 February)
• Big society 'could widen volunteer gap between town and country' (11 February)
• Website relaunch for public sector contract directory (11 February)
• Big Society Bank:  Commercial rates on loans to charities
• Legal challenges against cuts   Voluntary groups have begun to win cases over sudden cuts from government funding. The rulings are expected to set a precedent for similar cases brought forward by other groups. (9 February)
• London Councils launch Big Society funds for small charities (7 February)
• Dame Elisabeth Hoodless still thinks the Big Society can work. But she says there needs to be funding and a strategic plan. Council cuts are not helping, she says.
• Liverpool opts out of the Big Society initiative. However, Alan Lewis, CEO of the Liverpool Charity and Volunteer Services says Liverpool has been 'doing the big society' already, so it won't make much difference. 
• Your Square Mile: Sixteen of the most troubled UK communities will pilot this initiative to encourage citizens to work with their neighbours, the local civil society groups and local authorities to build the social capital in their localities. 
• Mutual Task force announced to help local authority employees set up mutuals to offer services as part of the 'right to provide' initiative.
• Horrible people drive out good people much more easily than good people drive out horrible people: Matthew Taylor of the Royal Society predicts that small groups can become dysfunctional, which would harm efforts to create the Big Society.
• Big Society Tsar steps down; Big Society steps up   Find out what happened at a Chain Reaction event in East London. The very last sentence in this blog is interesting and encouraging. (More about Chain Reaction in East London)
• Lambeth is proposing to become a co-operative council   But it's not about rolling back the state, according to Councillor Steve Reed, Chairman of the Co-operative Council Citizens’ Commission. Rather, he says, it's 'about putting the resources of the state at the disposal of citizens so that they can take control of the services they receive and the places where they live. More than just volunteering, it is about finding new ways in which citizens can participate in the decisions that affect their lives.' And here is a comment about it from Respublica think tank.
• Volunteering down for fifth consecutive year   A survey of 10,000 people was conducted by the Department of Communities and Local Government. (21 January)
• Hang around on your neighbourhood website to see what's happening down the road   Online neighbourhood networks can offer many benefits; helping build local social capital & giving shy or busy people a chance to tentatively 'poke out of their front doors' to see what's going on. It may not be quite the equivalent of making friends in cafes, pubs or at local events, but it's catching on.  
• Oxfordshire leads way with Big Society planning (12 January)
• Big Society champion warns cuts will topple the project (30 December)
• Giving green paper published   People have until 9 March 2011 to contribute their views on the government's proposals for increasing charitable donations from the public.
• Big Society Network responds to the green paper on modernising commissioning (24 December)
• Big Society needs government support; another news item which stresses the message coming from all quarters about the Big Society.
• Big Society in trouble, says NCVO report (10 December)
• V launches survey asking young people about Big Society (1 December)
• Amid controversy and argument, Gloucestershire Council puts Big Society thinking at the heart of its activity.
• Big Society: where's it got to?   Find out by following the useful links in John Popham's blog.
• 'Big Society' is Oxford University's Word of 2010   (24 November)
• Prime Minister launches Big Society Awards   David Cameron hopes they will inspire more projects. (22 November)
• Big Society to launch with at least £60 million   The bank will open in the spring. (16 November)
• Is the Big Society Anne Widdecombe?   Puzzled questions (no doubt tongue-in-cheek) about the Big Society from the Children's Minister highlight the difficulties around understanding the concept. 
• Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Williams expresses his worries about cuts and the Big Society (by Ed Thornton in Church Times,12 November).  
• Boris calls for 3,000 adult volunteers   The Mayor of London wants them to help more than 7,000 young people join uniformed groups such as the Scouts, Guides and St John Ambulance.
• Sir Stuart Etherington warns government against directing voluntary action   Voluntary action is by nature spontaneous, and reflects people's own interests, concerns and passions. However, he does put foward ideas for a framework on which to hang the Big Society.
• Wales is keen on Big Society   However, though Social Justice Minister Carl Sargeant wants to see the voluntary sector working differently, he does not want to see it replace the public sector.
• Council to pilot Big Society rewards scheme   Windsor and Maidenhead Council hopes the scheme, similar to that used by supermarkets and other chain stores, will encourage people to help in their community. (31 October)
• Big Society in outdoors threatened by cuts   Volunteers still require paid staff to train them
• Sutton Life Centre opened   The £8 million centre has been described by the Deputy Prime Minister as a "vanguard of the Big Society". (27 October)
• Peter Mandelson praises the Big Society   Despite being in opposition, Labour's general election campaign director believes David Cameron is "onto something". (26 October)
• Proposals wanted for Big Society Bank pilot   The deadline for submissions to Nesta is 5 November. (25 October)
• Fears over cuts to charities   The think tank New Philanthropy Capital believes the cuts could halt the Big Society from becoming a reality. (24 October)
• Volunteering at lowest point for seven years   The citizenship survey conducted by the government polled over 15,000 people about their civic habits. (23 Oct)
• £470 million over four years to deliver the Big Society   The money is for building the voluntary sector and will fund 5,000 new community organisers as well as the National Citizen Service pilot. (20 October)
• Roundtable discussion organised by European Association of Planned Giving says review of the Charities Act in the new year essential   New models for giving and new definitions of charity, business and social enterprise are needed in order to leverage the potentially game-changing effect of the 'Big Society'. But Joe Saxton of nfpSynergy, in comments under this article, is amazed that no fundraisers have been included in this conversation.
• An example of the Big Society at work   CLARITY exists to create opportunities for blind and disabled people by offering 'Skills for Life' training programmes, NVQs, literacy, numeracy and IT courses as well as full-time employment in its King's Cross factory. (news from 11 June 2010)
• Asda Foundation to partner with Big Society Network (4 October)
• Big Society joy in Yarmouth... tempered by pointed questions about cuts (30 September)
• How different councils are handling cuts and big society approaches to delivering services   Excellent overview by Anna Bawden on United Kingdom Society News site. (30 September)
• Charities form coalition to voice concerns   The ten high-profile charities hope the move will lead to increased engagement with the government and its Big Society plan. (28 September)
• Two leading Labour/Co-op MPs critical of government’s public service reform via Big Society   However, amid the heated discussion two leading Co-op figures show cautious interest in the Big Society idea. (28 September)
• Big Society can only work if young people are involved (28 September)
• Each pound invested in volunteering found to return at least £4 in direct economic value (27 September)
• Police volunteers could have council tax reduced (27 September)
• Archbishop of Canterbury urges people to 'make a difference' (27 September)
• Award-winning Balsall Heath wows the Coalition: an example of the 'Big Society' in action (20 September) Also be sure to visit the Balsall Heath forum - you'll be amazed.
• New study points to key community people who can deliver the Big Society (15 September)
• Culture Minister announces plans to aid libraries to become more central to local communities and reverse falling visits (24 August)
• Big Society threatened by lack of volunteers (24 August)
• Big Society Bank to be launched in April 2011 (16 August)
• National insurance policy to cover public events (16 August)
• Catch up with what's happening in the Big Society Network. This video shows social entrepreneurs talking about the Big Society and the things that make their wheels spin - and that they hope will improve the world.
• Frances Maude launches Mutuals Pathfinder programme (12 August)
• NCVYS launches Big Society Blueprint Programme (12 August)
• Cuts to small charities likely to shrink Big Society (10 August)
• Communities must pay to join Big Society Network   The Network doesn't plan to encourage neighbourhood or community initiatives to become sustainable social enterprises; also, it has no plans yet to help people on low incomes access its support; and, among other uses of technology, the Network is developing a Big Society app for mobile phones, providing information and linking people. Read Gemma Hampson's article on www.socialenterpriselive.com
• Big society - big community   Manu Caddie, in sunny Gisborne, New Zealand, made an interesting point when he heard about the UK's plans to build a Big Society: 'The characteristics of the Big Society may also be those of an abundant, healthy community: kindness, generosity, co-operation, forgiveness and the acceptance of fallibility. These virtues aren’t delivered by the market, or by government or local body organisations. They come from within us...'   
• Big Society Bank: big questions (3 August 2010)   The government is now talking to social lenders. Questions remain to be answered: will the money invested in the Big Society Bank belong to the bank itself, or remain the government's money? Triodos Bank wants the bank to be independent, with the right to invest where it sees fit to strengthen the market. David Ainsworth, Third Sector reports.
• How do you find the time to build the Big Society? (BBC 21 July 2010)
• Positive Images Awards release videos of winners talking about their projects
• Think tank warns funding contracts may scupper Big Society (30 June 2010)
• Minister Bob Neill urges for increased local power (22 June 2010)
• An old sofa dumped outside your door? Rubbish and rats plaguing you?   Residents are increasingly setting up their own 'hyperlocal' websites. Should councils be worried?
• Government ministers sign up to work with charities on Big Society scheme
• Nat Wei’s first address to the House of Lords (16 June 2010)
• 'The UK already has a big society of neighbours looking out for each other.'
• Timeline for coalition moves, including Big Society

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'Big Society': reports, research, analysis

• Civil Dialogue: Ideas for better working between government and civil society   The new think tank, Civil Exchange, calls for clarity about the Big Society and a new social contract based on greater clarity of purpose on the part of both government and civil society. This would include sharing of experience, establishment of new funding and commissioning arrangements, and respect for independence.
• Giving White Paper: 'what's hot, and what's not'   If you've not yet read the Giving White Paper this analysisis worth a read.
• Unshackling Good Neighbours   The Cabinet Office's new report is on how to cut red tape for small charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. You can read a Guardian article about it here.
• Powerful People, Responsible Society: the report of the Commission on Big Society   Recommendations include enabling umbrella bodies in the voluntary sector to take a lead, extended employment rights to allow workers to take time off for voluntary duties, and a new transition fund for 2012.
• Big Society Bank: Growing the Social Investment Market   What would a thriving social investment market look like? Will social ventures be able to gain access to the money they need to grow? Will this build a better, stronger society? This document sets out the government's vision of a social investment market and what it hopes the Big Society Bank will achieve.
• Big Society: a work-in-progress    From the heart of 'red torydom', blogger Matt Leach looks at where the Big Society stands now, what it really is, and what it could become. He says it's a work-in-progress, with implications for health that are, as yet, not properly understood.
• Big society visualised   The Guardian has created an in-depth charity map of England and Wales using data from the NCVO.
• Just how useful is the Big Society Bank going to be?   David Ainsworth explores this question in a blog posted on the Third Sector website.
• Below the Radar in a Big Society?   This working paper from the Third Sector Research Centre explores the debates about 'below the radar' community groups and their assumed role in delivering the big society, arguing that motivators for community action are usually misunderstood in policy circles.
• Cutting it: Big Society and the new austerity   Watch this video to hear the best and clearest (so far) exposition and critique of the Big Society idea by three people:
  Anna Coote, Head of Social Policy at new economics foundation (an analysis);
  Jonty Olliff-Cooper, director of policy and strategy, A4e and member of the steering group of the Big Society Network (who gives an explanation from the government's viewpoint); and Patrick Butler, Editor of society, health and education policy, The Guardian (who gives a critique of the Big Society idea).  Read the nef report here.
• Exile on Moan Street Blog    Read the Moan's take on the idea of offering Big Society participants reward cards.
• Freeing Schools: Shaping the Big Society   A report from Antidote urging policymakers to give schools more freedom and to tackle wasteful, ineffectual strategies.
• Here's an interesting take on whether people really want to run and delivery services in a Big Society
• The Civil Effect   This ResPublica report offers a radical rethink of public services commissioning. Read the full report here.
• Third Sector magazine survey    59 per cent of respondents think the Big Society will bring little change 'but with fewer council services and no increases in citizen activity'
• Young people give views of National Citizen Service in poll   Many of the 116 polled were looking forward to the scheme, but others were more wary.
• Employee Ownership Association is broker for government Pathfinder Mutuals programme
• Approaches to measuring the scale of the social enterprise sector in the UK   A paper examining the range of research approaches used in the UK to measure and map social enterprise. The paper examines what different data sources say about the scale of social enterprise in the UK.
• Charities Aid Foundation research: 46 per cent of UK’s charities think the 'Big Society' could work    But they believe it needs to be backed with resources to do so.
• Investing in Social Growth: Can the Big Society be more than a slogan?   The Young Foundation's report contains a ten-point plan with practical examples on how the Big Society can be made tangible and useful, and warns that grassroots groups are likely to bear the brunt of public spending cutbacks unless their budgets are ring-fenced. (Also in: Library Gems)
• Report recommends how rural communities can be empowered by the Big Society (23 August)
• Ipsos Mori Poll   Around half of the public (52 per cent) have heard of the Big Society; of these, two fifths have heard at least a fair amount (44 per cent). Some people think it's a good idea - others remain sceptical.
• Building the Big Society   A PDF of Nat Wei's seminar for the Big Society public services meetings in June 2010.

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