An independent audit of the first two years of the Big Society, published by the Civil Exchange think tank, suggests that funding cuts to the voluntary sector and a lack of communication have left Britons confused about the Big Society.

From The Guardian: “As a result of the cuts and the government’s failure to communicate or deliver its big society aspirations, much of the goodwill civil society groups initially felt towards the project has now evaporated, says the report, published by the thinktank Civil Exchange.” (Read more here)

From Third Sector: “The government needs a shared ‘vision and strategy for delivery’ with the voluntary sector, the report says, and should reform the tendering process for government contracts to remove the ‘implicit bias toward larger organisations, mainly in the private sector’.” (Read more here)

From the Independent:

The study tested progress on the “three pillars” of the big society policy launched in 2010 by Mr Cameron: enabling people to shape their local area; opening up public services provision to charities’ and levels of “social action” such as volunteering.

After drawing on more than 40 data sources, it concluded that “an urgent, genuine step change in how central Government and civil society work together” was needed.

You can read more here.