1. Hosted by: Funded by: Big Society or Civil Society? Professor Pete Alcock Director

2. Labour Government Legacy Partnership Strategic investment Political profile Growth in public support 2008 - £13 bn; 36% of charity income (England and Wales, NCVO Almanac, 2010)

3. General Election Campaign Consensus – welcome third sector…. Community empowerment Public services Compact Social Investment Bank

4. Coalition Government Minister for Civil Society – Nick Hurd Cabinet Office – Francis Maud House of Lords – Nat Wei May 18 – PM and DPM Big Society at the heart of public sector reform…

5. Coalition Policy Building the Big Society – though Big Society dropped during election campaign Easier to set-up and run charities, social enterprises and voluntary organisations Public sector workers – employee-owned co- operatives

6. Coalition Policy Remove ‘red tape’ – market prices for public sector contracts (‘level playing field’) Big Society Bank – from dormant bank accounts National Citizens Service for 16 year olds Big Society Day – workplace volunteering (from civil service to civic service)

7. Coalition Policy Train new generation of 5000 community organisers, to become self-funding Devolve power to local government – and drive down to neighbourhoods and communities Mending ‘Broken Britain’ or remixing the welfare state?

8. Big Society A legacy to match the ‘welfare state’! Nat Wei – Coral Reef analogy sea bed – public services coral growth – social and private enterprises fish – citizens and communities

9. Big Society or Civil Society Review of horizontal investment – Futurebuilders, Capacitybuilders, V End of Third Sector? Office of the Third Sector → Office for Civil Society

10. Responding to the Big Society What is Civil Society? – social relations not organisational structure “Charities, social enterprises and voluntary organisations….” Problems of inclusion and exclusion – loss of strategic unity

11. Policy Dilemmas Loss of unified policy platform Community empowerment – vs – public service restructuring Reductions in horizontal and infrastructure support Competition, restructuring and division within the sector?

12. Practical Challenges Change in public contracting Cuts in public expenditure Loss of horizontal support Competition and collaboration in third sector organisations Maintaining sector unity