David Cameron on Big Society

David Cameron championed the Big Society as a core sociopolitical concept designed to regenerate Britain's society by shifting power away from central government in Whitehall toward individuals and local communities. He argued that the preceding era of 'big government' had undermined personal and social responsibility, turning capable individuals into passive state recipients and lively communities into 'dull, soulless clones of one another'. The initiative was articulated through three main strands: opening up public services to voluntary organisations, charities, and social enterprises; encouraging 'social action' like volunteering and philanthropy; and achieving 'community empowerment' through decentralisation and transparency.

This vision, rooted in One-Nation Conservatism, aimed to achieve a social recovery alongside economic recovery, even amidst necessary public spending cuts, which Cameron denied were the main driver of the policy. Key mechanisms included establishing the Big Society Bank with £200 million from major UK banks and introducing the National Citizen Service for 16-year-olds to foster citizenship skills. Despite this strong advocacy, which he maintained was his personal mission, the concept faced skepticism about its vagueness and fears it was merely a justification for austerity measures; the term itself ceased to be used by the Prime Minister in public after 2013.