George appeared on the Daily Politics Show on Sunday 20th February to talk about the BIg Society. Asked to describe what was meant by the concept George said, "It's basically about strengthening our communities. Giving more power to families, giving more power to charities and having more of a 'bottom-up' approach to solving some of these problems. Rather than having all the budgets hoarded up by big public sector organisations and the very big charities, it is about allowing more money to flow down to smaller groups who can very often tailor a solution to the local area and often do it a lot better'.
George specifically mentioned the fantastic charitable and voluntary sector projects that he has seen thrive in Camborne saying, "I for instance have seen some very good work done by a project called "Community Assistance Projects" in Camborne. They collect rubbish and waste and they use volunteers to do that, they also help retrain offenders. They have an income stream from the Council for delivering a service, but they use that for public good - that's the kind of solution we need - killing two birds with one stone."
Outlining his vision as to why the concept of the Big Society is so integral to this Government's agenda, George stated "Is is about getting society to understand that we all have a role to play. Government can do its bit, but it can't solve these social problems on its own. We need families to do their bit, we need parents to take responsibility for their children; and if we get everyone doing their bit we can really change things for the better."
To watch the whole programme, click here.