Common Wealth: A Curate's response to Big Society

A small council estate on the edge of Gloucester is beginning to find out what Big Society really means. Facing cuts to public and third sector care the churches begin to try and unravel, with the community, what is really happening? 

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The Big Community

I attended an event this weekend hosted by the County Council. It was billed as part of the consultation on cuts in services but consultation was not on offer. It was just them giving information and any challenge to their logic was meant with either bafflement or the explanation that they are only there to explain how it will be.

In all of that it became clear to me that the criteria they used for choosing to close Matson library assumes:
Everyone owns a car
All library properties are of equal market value and sale-ability

It follows that Matson will be offered the lowest level of library service of the entire county and offered the least amount of money of all those with services cut.