David Cameron unveils vision to give power to the people

DAVID Cameron has launched the next phase of his "Big Society" agenda yesterday with the announcement of four areas to pilot the scheme.

He insisted the initiative was about engaging people rather than offloading the state's responsibilities to the voluntary sector to save money.

Each of the pilot projects will get an expert organiser and dedicated civil servants to ensure "people power" initiatives get off the ground and inspire a wider change, the Prime Minister said.

A local buy-out of a rural pub, efforts to recruit volunteers to keep museums open and giving residents more power over council spending are among the initiatives being championed.

Mr Cameron also confirmed plans to use funds stuck in dormant bank accounts to enable charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to take over the running of public services.

Hundreds of millions of pounds should eventually be available in start-up funding as part of the push – which would see providers paid by results.

Mr Cameron said years of top-down government control had turned capable people into "passive recipients of state help", lively communities into "dull soulless clones" and motivated public sector workers into "disillusioned weary puppets of government targets".

Government had to be turned "completely on its head" to foster "communities with oomph", public sector workers with freedom to innovate and "a new culture of voluntarism, philanthropy, social action".

The four pilot schemes will be in Liverpool, Eden Valley in Cumbria, Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire and the London Borough of Sutton.

"These four vanguard communities will be the great training grounds of this change, the first territory on which real and ultra local power is a reality – and the Big Society is built," Mr Cameron added.