We haven’t heard much from David Cameron recently about his
flagship Big Society policy. Launched in 2009, and then a centre-piece
of the Conservative 2010 general election manifesto, Big Society was
meant to re-frame the relationship between the state, local communities and
individuals.
Last month, Sir Stephen Bubb, speaking for the heads of
Britain’s biggest charities, said that the Big Society idea was “effectively
dead”. Actually, it’s even worse than that. Cameron’s coalition government
seems to have been relentlessly pursuing policies that mean we’ll have a much
smaller society than the one they inherited.
The government’s Work Programme was meant to be a
shining example of the new type of relationship between the government and the
voluntary sector. .As well as failing to meet any of its objectives, Bubb
described it as a scheme where “reality is divorced from the rhetoric”.
The government promised that it would speed up payments to
small businesses (SMEs) and charities. Yet, the latest data shows that late
payments and the average time to pay against invoices have both increased.
Far from increasing support to charities and voluntary
organizations, the government is planning massive cuts in financial support.
Government spending on the sector will fall by £3.3bn between 2010 and 2015.
The biggest fall will occur in 2015, when expenditure from local and central
government sources is expected drop by almost £1.3bn in real terms compared
with 2010 levels. Little wonder that about a half of all charities are
predicting significant cuts in the services they provide and the number of
employees and volunteers they have to deliver them.
The UK Giving Report, published in November, found
that donations to charity have fallen to
£9.3bn, down £1.7bn on 2010/11 (£11bn) in cash terms. That’s about a 20% cut in
real terms. And the survey found that the proportion of people donating to
charity is also falling.
And, despite the massive tax cuts being given to the highest
earners, there’s no evidence to show that they are giving some of that to
charity. In fact, the number of big charitable donations has fallen to the
lowest level in 5 years.
We have a smaller society, and it’s getting smaller every
day.
