Civic Voice letter appears in The Telegraph
Bigger society
SIR – We are concerned about criticisms of civil society from politicians and commentators in debating “the Big Society”. Some have said “there is no such thing”, that “there is little appetite” for greater citizen involvement in Britain and that “it cannot be done”. They risk undermining the very notion that civil society should play a role in public life.
A PoliticsHome survey found that the majority of people (55 per cent) would like more community involvement in improving the quality of life in Britain, and only 20 per cent said they would not have the time to get involved.
Citizens can and should be allowed to be active in their community by participating in local groups to make simple but significant improvements – for example by lobbying to get new pedestrian crossings put in to save children’s lives, by forming Neighbourhood Watch groups, or by deciding the spending priorities of their local council.
While it can be tough for citizens to run hospitals and schools single-handedly, they can and should – with help from social enterprises as well as the state – have much more of a say over those services and be allowed to commission aspects of local services where they can and where there is demand.
Writing from bipartisan and apolitical perspectives, we believe the notion that civil society should play a vital role in the nation’s future is important. We will stand together to pool our resources to make this a reality, regardless of who is in power after tomorrow.
Tony Burton Civic Voice and 38 other signatories
You can access the full letter by clicking here and scrolling down the page