Is the Big Society just a Big Con?

MEET four Scots who volunteer in their spare time to find out what they think.

• Cameron's Big Society idea has met with much cynicism, particularly here in Scotland. Picture: Getty

David Cameron has a "great passion" and its called The Big Society. A key feature of his election manifesto was to prove to voters that he has the big ideas to take Britain forward in the 21st century. To offset the mantra of cuts, cuts, cuts, the Prime Minister has focused on a change in British culture that encourages us all to do more for ourselves: a mass transfer of power from the state to the people.

He has called this change the Big Society, a move to encourage people to solve their own problems by digging in, at a grassroots level, starting charities, volunteering, and taking charge of things that were traditionally the government's to handle. Cameron says he wants to rebuild Britain by harnessing "people power".

Big Society presumes that people know what's best for them and for their communities. That translates into things like encouraging parents to start their own schools, and urging small local charities to take over drug rehabilitation programmes and welfare schemes. Cameron is also keen for private companies to stop criticising and start acting.

If they think they can do better than the government, by all means, have a go.

But critics have asked, do we really need a centrally led government initiative to tell us all to help out in our communities? Isn't this what we have all been doing for decades?

Others have suggested the concept is just a cover for more government cuts.

Voters are sceptical. With our work-life balance already under pressure, how do those with busy jobs and families find the spare time?

A 2007 survey for the Cabinet Office found that 41 per cent of those who had stopped volunteering had done so because they did not have enough time.

The reality is that most of us work incredibly long hours in one or more jobs. We commute longer than ever before and still have family responsibilities waiting for us at home. There are more single parent families than ever before and many households wrestle with caring for an ailing or elderly family member.

Cameron's idea has sparked enormous cynicism, especially in Scotland, where anti-Thatcher feeling still runs strong.

In a recent TV debate one voter asked: "Has Cameron not noticed that there are already thousands of volunteers: parents coaching grassroots football, running youth groups; cub and scout leaders, PTAs. . . I bet in 12 months' time he claims it was all his idea when it is already happening all over the UK – we just never give these people any credit ."

The Scotsman spoke to some of those who already put in extra hours to find out why they do what they do, and how they feel about Cameron's brave new world.

'I find Cameron's idea a difficult concept, that he didn't articulate terribly well'

HECTOR MACKENZIE, 62, IS ON THE BOARD OF SAMH, THE SCOTTISH ASSOCIATION FOR MENTAL HEALTH

I joined SAMH's management board last February after I retired from working in Scottish Government, on the health side. Twenty-odd years ago I wrote the first mental health framework for Scotland.

Personally, I have known people who committed suicide. SAMH has a suicide prevention team that offers training. If one person is stopped from the pain they'd give to their family, or to themselves, then it's worth it. I've seen what can happen if people don't know there's someone at the end of the phone.

The mental health problem is much worse and more significant in Scotland than other parts of Britain. If we can lobby my old colleagues, when they're looking to make cuts, to think about this very hard, then it makes a real difference. People often say mental health is a Cinderella service - the last one people think about because it worries and frightens them. But people who suffer mental health problems are probably the most vulnerable and unable to help themselves, and they need SAMH.

You can't just sit on the board and look at papers from the executive team and government and others, you have to make sure the quality of service is good.

My time commitment varies, but it's not a large amount. To give a few days a month, or one day a week - it's nothing when you have the rest of your life.

And when you meet the people who benefit from our services, and who can say this was me then, and look at me now - they've started working again, or havr re-established relationships, it's very rewarding to think that your charity was able to help them.

From my involvement in government, one thing that came across is that if you're looking at ageing population, with people hoping to stay active and in their own homes rather than being institutionalised, then people like me can help. For example, we had an elderly neighbour who, if we didn't see her up and about when we were up and about, we'd ring the doorbell to check and see if she was OK. She got a pendant to buzz if she fell down, and we were one of the contacts.

That kind of thing doesn't involve as much time as volunteering, but it could save the community nurse or social worker looking in quite so often. There's nothing to stop us getting her a pint of milk or paper. Small things have an effect as well. It's just good neighbourliness, but it's channelled, and we tried encouraging the NHS to use these informal connections that already exist in a community.

I find Cameron's idea a difficult concept, that he didn't articulate terribly well. Whether or not people who work all the hours there are will also find time to take on more demanding commitments in their communities is more problematic. Volunteering can be quite positive for employers, but I can't see that many saying: 'put down your work and go do some volunteering'. So that end of it I'm not sure about, but at the community level, the idea of being a good neighbour has been around for years.

I know as a board member that if we don't do our work, I'm potentially financially liable. It's a sobering thought. Whether other people are happy to take on responsibilities like running a school, and being potentially liable if doesn't work, is quite a thought.

'We found a gaping need they didn't recognise'

JOHN DELANEY, 53, LIVES IN LOCHWINNOCH AND RAISES MONEY FOR TEENAGE CANCER TRUST, AMONG OTHER CHARITIES. HE IS AN INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL ADVISER

My son Andrew, died of cancer just before his 16th. It came out of nowhere. He was diagnosed with a tumour on his spinal chord but a biopsy went wrong, and it left him paralysed, needing constant hospital care. But he was a teenager, going through all the things teens go through, a good sportsman, and 6ft tall. Because we live in the west of Scotland, Glasgow is our local oncology centre.

The unit at Yorkhill is fantastic, but it's really geared for little kids. The bed wasn't even big enough. The alternative was the general open cancer ward, with the adults - which was appalling. They eventually found a cubicle for him in an overspill ward. Andrew hated every second he was there, despite being stoical about everything else.

Ultimately, my wife Rosemary and I wound up nursing him at home. He did fantastically well for 11 months, but he did die. The experience made us realise there was a huge gap in care. Teenagers' cancers are different, and they react differently - it can grow more aggressively because their bodies are constantly changing.

Because we were looking after Andrew at home, his friends were in and out. Our village was very aware of what was going on, and has adopted TCT and the local hospice as its two main charities, though people also support individual causes.

We had a collection at Andrew's funeral but didn't know which cancer charity to give it to, until we heard about the TCT, and that their main function was to raise money to build and install specialised units in NHS hospitals to cater for teenagers. They raise the money and then liaise with the NHS trust. It started with one unit, in London, in the early 1990s, and by the time we encountered them, there were about six, but nothing in Scotland, though it was always their intention to cover the entire UK.

I'm an independent financial adviser and work from home, so I have the "luxury" of deciding my own hours. I can work all night to free up time to do fundraising events, such as running the Midnight Sun Marathon in Norway, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, or walking the West Highland Way.

I played sport when I was younger but got injured when I was 30, and didn't do that much activity for 20 years, until I got involved with this fundraising. I didn't actually make it to the top of Kilimanjaro, because I got sick, but my other son, Paul, who was 16 at the time, managed it.

As far as the Big Society goes, I don't think you have to be a hardened cynic to take a wait-and-see approach when people seeking election talk about power to the people - which is right out of Citizen Smith.

When there's genuine community spirit, people don't need to be told they can do something. We got involved in TCT because we discovered a horrible gaping need, and there was no recognition that it existed coming from the government.

Cameron should visit our village. There is a fantastic spirit locally here, with fantastic energy. My concerns would be about the big cuts coming in the voluntary sector. So what does this mean?

If this is, "We're not cleaning your streets, we're not fixing up your schools, you've got to do it yourselves", well that's not Big Society, that's just unpaid labour.

'It's fine for me to urge people to volunteer, but I know people don't always have time'

MOIRA MCCULLOCH,30,VOLUNTEERS FOR ABERDEEN SAFER COMMUNITY TRUST

I THINK it's important that people get more involved in their community, and that was why I chose to help this charity. I was looking for something quite diverse and community-based. Neighbourhoods aren't what they used to be, and it's everyone's fault - individuals need to get involved.

I used to give half a day each week, and while I can't go in as often now, I do drop in whenever I can, and I'm on call if they need me for a special project or they really need an extra set of hands to pitch in. It's fine for me to urge people to help others, but I know it's a time thing and that others don't always have extra space in their day. I also realise there are a lot of other things I could do with my spare time, but I feel that you can go to the cinema all you want - getting involved with a charity is so much more rewarding and fun.

As far as Cameron's Big Society goes, I think, given increased government cut backs, that this could help alleviate the money pressures that might affect charitable organisations. If it helps fill in some of the gaps that result, then it's a good thing.

I'll carry on volunteering as much as I can. It's a fun thing to do. It's not selfless. You get to spend your day with people who have interesting things to say and some of the research is very interesting.

I have, for example, learned a lot about domestic abuse - it's been a real eye opener, realising it's right on my doorstep. Getting involved helps open your eyes.

'It shouldn't be about using charities and community groups to fill gaps that'll be left in public spending…'

HAZEL WILSON, 25, WORKS FOR SHELTER SCOTLAND AND VOLUNTEERS FOR LEONARD CHESHIRE

I work Monday to Thursday at Shelter, and I'm also a wedding make-up artist. I started looking into volunteering last year, when I was coming out of a bad depression. I've had ME, and spent time confined to a wheelchair. I wanted to work for a disabilities charity, as I wanted to help people who didn't have my luck in getting better.

Leonard Cheshire's mission is to change attitudes towards disability, to empower disabled people, and to enrich their lives with opportunities they wouldn't normally have. These are people who don't necessarily have a big family support system, or who live in care homes where the staff is overburdened, and can use some help.

Although my paid job is with a charity, it's in the head office. It isn't hands-on so I can't see the people we're helping. I wanted to do something more front-line, to get a feeling that I was making a contribution, and to have a bit of a distraction, as well.

I volunteer one or two hours per week. I work with one older woman. I paint her nails, we listen to records or play with balloons or colour. Roughly once a month I take her out, to the shops or to the Botanics. She loves it, and that enriches the experience for me.

When I'm really busy, I know how easy it would be to say I can't come this week, but she gets excited and tells everyone I am coming, so I say: "No, I can find the time because it means so much to her". It's a small thing for me that makes a huge difference to her. And I always feel better when I leave. She cheers me up as much as I cheer her up. This Big Society idea is just building on what already happens in communities around Scotland - people are already doing a lot of this work. But it shouldn't be about using charities and community groups to fill gaps that'll be left in public spending. If you are putting too much pressure on people who are already doing great work, there's a likelihood that they could rebel.

At the same time, volunteering should be easier for people to get into. There are lots of unemployed people who'd like to do more."