MUCH was said and written about David Cameron’s plan to create a Big Society.
After the headline-grabbing first launch speech, we can assume civil servants in Whitehall, and what’s left of the Government Offices network in the regions, are seeking ways to turn the ambition into some sort of tangible reality.
A report published on Monday goes a long way towards underlining why things must change.
The study is from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
Not putting too fine a point on it, the Commission finds that Britain is a deeply divided country where millions of people find that the doors to success are permanently closed.
According to the EHRC, it is the most complete study of equality and prejudice undertaken in the UK.
It is called How Fair Is Britain? And the researchers are not posing a rhetorical question.
They present what they describe as the most comprehensive compilation on disadvantage and discrimination assembled in Britain, showing that long-standing inequalities remain undiminished, and that what they call social and economic fault lines are emerging at an alarming rate across parts of Britain.
The report acknowledges some progress has been made, but concludes significant barriers remain.
The evidence spans a range of topics.
For example, men and women from the highest social class can expect to live up to seven years longer than those from lower socio-economic groups.
That is a type of inequality that any meaningful Big Society must surely succeed in eliminating.
Everything from fast broadband access to improved employment and skills training has a part to play.
At his party’s conference in Birmingham, Mr Cameron endorsed a new scheme led by that city’s Chamber of Commerce.
Together with partners, notably from the private sector, the Chamber has pledged to provide 3,000 apprenticeships in the West Midlands in the coming year. That is a tall order, but time will tell.
We need a Big Society but we also need one where inequality is banished. If this coalition succeeds, it will have the foundation of a worthwhile legacy. If it fails, many will be far worse off by being denied fair and equal opportunities.
