Govt steps up push for ‘big society’
By politics.co.uk staff
David Cameron’s flagship ‘big society’ policy was set in motion today as the new communities czar sets out her plans.
Over the next year Baroness Newlove will visit local projects to identify the best practise for “community activism” and then report to the government on how to remove barriers from the state.
Promising a “real cultural shift”, the peer said: “The government is creating the right environment for community-level activity to flourish by giving local people power over policing priorities and ending top-down government.
“But for a real revolution to happen we need all the existing groups to help spread their success far and wide – if every group already doing good work now helps another we will see a real cultural shift.”
She added: “The majority of people want to play a part in efforts to improve where they live and we know there is a clear link between local community safety schemes and crime reduction.”
David Cameron’s ‘big society’ pledge has gone largely overshadowed given the momentous economic changes announced in the spending review, but the prime minister hopes to make the idea a central plank of the coalition’s legacy.
Baroness Newlove has also set up a blog “to help inspire people around the country about what they can do within their own neighbourhood”.
Home secretary Theresa May said the drive for community activism could spur on a radical decline in anti-social behaviour and crime.
“Baroness Newlove will be championing the active part people can play, alongside the frontline, in tackling the problems that matter most in their neighbourhoods,” she said.
“She brings a wealth of experience to this important new role that really is at the vanguard of community empowerment. I look forward to seeing the results of her work which will help us all build safer and more confident communities free from crime and anti-social behaviour.”
The government is relying on these projects to take up some of the slack of public services as spending cuts begin to bite.
Mr Cameron has repeatedly argued that removing regulatory barriers to local activism will unleash radical social improvements.
