Since the UK’s general election in May this year, the phrase ‘Big Society’ has become more and more ubiquitous. The coalition government’s intention is that the delivery of certain public services will be put more into the hands of local communities, and with this shift away from centralised control we will see cost savings and improvements in the services themselves.
One of our clients, HCT Group, is a leading UK social enterprise. It runs a number of commercial transport operations around the country, then reinvests the surpluses into providing community transport initiatives aimed at those who find it difficult to use mainstream public transport, and related training for the long-term unemployed. This is an organisation that could participate in the Big Society idea, but its Chief Executive, Dai Powell, today expressed some concerns about whether social enterprises such as HCT will truly be able to contribute to the Big Society vision once ‘Many organisations’ grants…cease for good in March 2011’.
Dai’s views can be found in a piece entitled ‘The clock is ticking on Cameron’s Big Society’ on Guardian Public. We’d like to hear your thoughts on this issue, whether you’re involved in an organisation such as HCT, or simply an interested observer.
