The “Big Society”Phillip Blond

Director, ResPublica‘’You cannot have popular capitalism

if the poor don’thave any capital’’1

The Core Problems• The ECONOMIC problem

- concentration of assets

• The SOCIAL problem- erosion of social capital

• The CIVIC problem- not enough people are getting involved

• The POWER problem- power has pooled in the state

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The Economic Problem

Assets have become concentrated

•The wealthiest half of households hold 91% of the UK’s total wealth

•Bottom half of society has just 1% of liquid capital

• Source: ONS, Wealth in Great Britain – Main Results from the Wealth and Assets Survey 2006/08 (2009)

3

The Social Problem

Social capital is declining

•97% of communities have become more socially fragmented over the past three decades Source: Changing UK (Dec 2008), BBC Report

•The level of social trust has almost halved over the last 40 years Source: Civic Culture Study 1959; European and World Values Surveys 1990-2002/03

4

The Civic Problem

Civic engagement has decreased

•Only 31% of Britons now provide nearly 90% of all volunteer hours Source: Third Sector Research Centre (2010)

•Netherlands, high concentrations of low income households = lower volunteering, voter turnout and contacts with relatives Source: Schmeets & te Riele (Jan 2010)

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The Power Problem

Power has pooled in the state

•Nearly three out of four Britons agree that “the state intervenes too much”

Source, David Halpern, “The Wealth of Nations” (2007)

•48% of people would like to be more involved in local decision-making Source: Ipsos MORI (2010)

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The Diagnosis

Problems with the ‘right’ and ‘left’

•Both welfarism and the ‘monopolised market’ have encouraged bureaucracy and asset concentration

•The state and the market have squeezed out the ‘civic middle’, stripping it of capital and capacity

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Britain’s Big Society

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Transparency Democracy Locality •Demand side: Localism Bill: the right to buy, challenge and build - Public asset transfer, budgetary take over – self defining neighbourhoods•Supply side: Mutualisation of public services, payment by outcome, new providers•Devolving economic power and participation

Britain’s Big Society

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Transparency Democracy Locality •Demand side: Localism Bill: the right to buy, challenge and build - Public asset transfer, budgetary take over – self defining neighbourhoods•Supply side: Mutualisation of public services, payment by outcome, new providers•Devolving economic power and participation

For public authorities

• Define budgets not by services or silos but by areas and by outcome

• Explore social finance models – move beyond social impact bonds for prisoners – to wider policy possibilities

• What scope for the council to be a bridge for funding current action from future savings?

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The new civic agenda

• Economic – self and community build – platform for mass bottom up enterprise

• Social – associate to create capital and skills• Civic – begin where people are - foster

relationships and fraternity• Power – change governance – go bottom up

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Development Trusts Community Trusts

Bewonersbedrijven

are:

• Independent• Led by local people• Driving social change• Trading for community benefit• Developing community assets and ownership

Community trusts

Whilst all trusts are different, they typically:• Are small with income of between £100k and £500k• Focus on very specific neighbourhoods of up to

5,000 people• Own an asset or have use of a building or property• Are primarily led and driven by up to 3 or 4

individuals, even though boards may be much bigger

• Are successful in overcoming ongoing income and other challenges

Community Trusts

Most trusts have a mix of income sources, the main ones:

• Grants (e.g. from Government, Lottery, grant making trusts) – average of 70% but varies enormously

• Donations and fund raising (tiny %)• Contracts with public organisations to provide services• Rental and room hire income• Social enterprise including café/catering, consultancy,

weddings, conferences, training, nursery fees, events

Income

• DTA Founded 1993

• Emphasis on assets and enterprise

• In practice similar organisations to settlements

• Role of state funded regeneration programmes in the rapid growth of the movement – City Challenge - SRB – NDC

Development Trusts

Rooted in the vision of there being "another way", a way of combining community-led action with business expertise and enterprise.

The top reasons for success

1. People/Leadership/Management

2. People/Leadership/Management

3. People/Leadership/Management

4. Services and community engagement

De verschillen met Nederland• Community (wijk) bepaald door bewoners niet

door geografie• Bewoners hebben meerderheid in bestuur• Focus op wijkeconomie, niet op welzijn• In bezit van eigen vermogen/vastgoed en daardoor

mogelijkheid om inkomsten te verwerven• Door eigen inkomsten niet alleen afhankelijk van

subsidie• Professionals worden ingehuurd en werken letterlijk in

dienst van

Experiment Bewonersbedrijven

• Conferentie ruimte voor burgers 27 juni 2011• 14 bewonersgroepen zijn aan voorbereidingen

begonnen• Start experimenten eerste helft 2012 als goed

bedrijfsplan is gemaakt• Experimenten krijgen hulp van LSA en enig

startkapitaal afhankelijk van plan• Onderzoek UK/NL gelijktijdig

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A formula for success

Leadership + Passion + Determination + Focus on need +Business skills

= Success