Big Society Vanguard Communities

Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Communities and Local Government – in the House of Commons at 10:30 am on 21 October 2010.

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Photo of Malcolm Wicks Malcolm Wicks Labour, Croydon North 10:30, 21 October 2010

Given that one of the building blocks of the big society, which I believe in, is the voluntary sector, will the Minister comment on the decision by Croydon council to axe the grants to more than 20 voluntary organisations? Those organisations form the great majority of those that the council has been funding, and they include the Croydon rape and sexual abuse support centre. Does he agree that if the same thing happens nationwide, that will not be about building the good society-or, if he prefers, the big society-but will put us on a slippery slope towards a painful and bad society?