07/12/10

By Andrew Holt

Lord Rennard, former chief executive of the Liberal Democrats, is to chair a Commission on Big Society.

Lord Rennard will bring together high profile political and civil society thinkers including; The Bishop of London, Philip Collins (chair of Demos and leader writer for the Times), Dame Clare Tickell (CEO of Action for Children and leader of the Government’s review of early years services) Nick Boles MP (PPS to Minister of State for Schools, Nick Gibbs MP) and Paul Boateng (former Chief Secretary to the Treasury and former High Commissioner to South Africa.

The Commission on Big Society launched today is being formed by charity leaders’ body ACEVO in order to articulate a civil society vision for what charity leaders want to achieve through the Big Society agenda, and to recommend practical steps that Government, third sector organisations and others need to take to make that vision a reality.

Speaking on the launch of the Commission on Big Society, Lord Rennard said: “Big Society presents exciting opportunities for civil society and the country more broadly but it’s crucial that we think through the practical actions needed to make it work.

"It is important that this thinking takes place not just within the confines of Whitehall but encompasses the views of leaders from across civil society.”
The Commission will hold their first meeting in January.

Members of the Commission:

Lord Rennard, (chair), Liberal Democrat peer, former Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats

Philip Collins, former speechwriter for Tony Blair, chair of the thinktank Demos, leader writer for the Times

Louise Casey, Victims’ Commissioner to the Government, former coordinator for the Respect Taskforce

Matt Hyde, chief Executive, National Union of Students

Jane Slowey, CBE, chief executive, Foyer Federation, and chair of Skills Third Sector

Hilary Belcher, chief executive, Mosaic Clubhouse

Peter McGurn, chief executive, Goodwin Trust

Michael Quicke, chief executive, CCLA

Bp Richard John Carew Chartres, Bishop of London, former Gresham Professor of Divinity

Dame Clare Tickell, chief executive, Action for Children, and chair of the Government’s early years review

Paul Boateng, former chief secretary to the Treasury, former High Commissioner to South Africa

Srabani Sen, CEO, Contact a Family

Nick Boles MP, Conservative MP, PPS to Nick Gibb as Minister of State for Schools, former director of Policy Exchange

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