Big Society - toxic brand or just lacking Big Citizens?

The BBC is today drawing attention to two think tank pamphlets arguing that David Cameron would do well to revive the ideas behind the Big Society.

Professor Anthony Seldon, master of Wellington College, who wrote a pamphlet for Policy Exchange, believes the Big Society concept should be resurrected with "more substance" and with a more "thoughtful" government and more "responsible" and "responsive" citizenry.

Chief executive of the RSA Matthew Taylor, who wrote their pamphlet, says the Big Society "needs big citizens", with people being more autonomous and responsible.

Amongst the ideas promoted by Policy Exchange for strengthening communities are:

• Every locality should encourage volunteering, and make it easier to link up would-be volunteers with where help is most needed. All schools to have compulsory volunteering afternoons: those children who volunteer when young are more likely to continue when older.

• Local communities to be encouraged to become more economically self-sufficient – e.g. by shopping, eating and going out locally, as in ‘transition towns’ such as Totnes in Devon.

• The arts to be encouraged more in each locality, with more local art exhibitions, lectures, concerts and theatre performances – local taxes and funds should be raised to subsidise local cultural events, e.g. a weekend of free local theatre each month.

• Greater impetus to be given to the physical appearance of each community – run down areas should be identified and addressed, with the community working together to ensure public spaces are safe and look attractive. Local volunteering should be encouraged, to remove graffiti and enhance the physical appearance of the community, for example normalising the local clean-up efforts that took place after the London riots, which showed the public’s appetite to improve their locality, given the leadership.

• Each community to make more of its own local history as a way of imparting pride and shared identity, nurturing curiosity and deepening an understanding of the past.

• Annual street parties to be instituted as a way encouraging collective action and rebuilding friendships with neighbours and streets.

• Non-political local representatives to be established, responsible for small ‘ward’ areas to act as a conduit between residents and councillors – they should enable residents to feel a personal investment in and engagement with their community.

• The elderly to be more purposefully involved in their communities – e.g. retired people should volunteer and continue to be actively involved in helping others in their communities. The focus should shift to asking how retired people can best help others.

• Communities should be encouraged to create or extend gardens or allotments – more green spaces should be made available for this purpose.

The piece on the Beeb's website has an interesting 5 minute snippet from an interview with Taylor and Seldon.