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Commons committee publishes report on Big Society

Summary: Big Society doesn't do enough to help 'the little society': Without a coherent implementation plan, there is confusion over message, whilst smaller charities face barriers in contracting and commissioning policies, says Public Administration Select Committee (PASC).

In their report, PASC warns that the Big Society project is hampered by the lack of a clear implementation plan, leading to public confusion about the policy agenda, eighteen months into this administration. The project by its very nature requires substantial change in Whitehall and to the nature of government. 

Recommendations

PASC has yet to see how the government will engage these charities and voluntary groups who wish to do so to deliver public services: the 'little society' rather than big business and 'Tesco' charities. Government must address the barriers such bodies experience in the contracting and commissioning system, which means developing a plan to address roles, tasks, responsibilities and skills in Whitehall departments. PASC concludes there are two major practical steps Government must take to make, or the Big Society will not achieve what the government intends.

  1. Create a single Big Society Minister, who has a cross-cutting brief, to help other Ministers to drive through this agenda once they begin reporting progress against the aims of Open Public Services White Paper, from April 2012.
  2. Implement an impact assessment, to be applied to every Government policy, statutory instrument, and new Bill, which answers the simple question: "what substantively will this do to build social capital, people power, and social entrepreneurs?"

This builds on previous reports by PASC which expressed concerns that there has been failure to lead a coherent change programme in the civil service and that the centre of government has been too weak to implement the change envisioned by the Big Society project.  PASC renews its demand for the government to bring forward a comprehensive implementation plan for the Big Society and for the required changes in government.

Click here to read more and to view the report.

Source: www.parliament.uk

 

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