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Liverpool pulling out of the 'big society'

Submitted by Mike Davies on Fri, 04/02/2011 - 12:12

Disappointing, but I can't say it's at all surprising given the cities traditional hostility to all things Tory.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-12357450

The leader of Liverpool City Council has written to the prime minister withdrawing its involvement from his "big society" plans.

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Submitted by Peter Elliott CMgr MCMI on Fri, 04/02/2011 - 12:24 Profile image

There's bound to be a political motive to this although, no doubt, many of the complaints made by the Council are not without some foundation.

It certainly does seem difficult to reconcile support of local communities while massive cuts are being made to the very budgets that support them but, as with all things political, there will be more to this than meets the eye.

No doubt the Council itself has a choice over which budgets to cut and is perhaps not targeting appropriately the necessary efficiency savings elsewhere that could reduce the cuts to the community services they say are being hardest hit..........

Submitted by Mike Davies on Fri, 04/02/2011 - 13:54

Maybe I've got the wrong end of the stick with the whole 'big society' thing, but i always believed it to mean that government would step back from providing certain services, with other sectors of society (be they private or voluntary) stepping in.

Surely if that's the case then it shouldn't require government subsidies anyway?

Submitted by Peter Elliott CMgr MCMI on Fri, 04/02/2011 - 20:44 Profile image

I think you have a point there Mike but there's then the argument that a government can't stop all subsidies and expect the private sector to take over with immediate effect. I would have thought that a gradual transition would have been more appropriate.

Submitted by Matt Chapman on Fri, 04/02/2011 - 20:48

I agree Peter.  Liverpool and the Tories have a terrible history so a more softly softly approach would have been much better if they really wanted to achieve change.

Submitted by Matt Chapman on Mon, 07/02/2011 - 10:20

Cuts are 'destroying the big society'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12378974

The government's spending cuts are "destroying" volunteering and undermining its "big society" vision, the head of a leading charity has said.

Submitted by Martin Hudson MCMI on Mon, 14/02/2011 - 21:10

S

Submitted by on Tue, 15/02/2011 - 06:02

Martin Hudson wrote:

S

I agree with Martin here :)

Submitted by Adrian Gaskell MCMI on Tue, 15/02/2011 - 10:31 Profile image

I see that a 'Big Society' bank has been created with around £200 million to help support some of the social enterprises around the country.  The money comes from dormant bank accounts.

Do you think this will help?

Submitted by Martin Hudson MCMI on Tue, 15/02/2011 - 19:32

Sorry I types S by mistake, Matt what did you think I meant?

Submitted by Peter Elliott CMgr MCMI on Fri, 18/02/2011 - 17:32 Profile image

W