Playing with fire: Limitations of the Big Society for an emergency service

Abstract

A key role of the Big Society is to bring about a transformation in public service provision through the greater involvement of voluntary and community groups. It is often assumed that, because rural areas have higher levels of volunteering, they are most likely to ‘benefit’ from the Big Society, while deprived urban areas will benefit the least. This article questions that assumption. Examining the scope and impact for promoting localism in the Fire and Rescue Service, a sector in which local involvement has played an important role in rural service provision, it finds that the ‘Big Society’ vision makes untested assumptions about the willingness and ability of citizens to perform public sector functions without the same employment rights as public sector employees; the extent to which the resource context shapes current and future capacity for community involvement; and the role of localism in driving forward improvements in service quality. Moreover, far from benefitting rural areas, higher rates of localism are not necessarily associated with higher performance, raising important questions about the implications of rolling out the Big Society agenda for rural and urban areas alike.

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