Helping us, to help you, deliver BIG SOCIETY

BIG SOCIETY is all about helping people to take responsibility for shaping the communities and areas around them.

We are very keen to work with anyone who comes up with their own ideas to help benefit the community, and/or deliver a service which reduces the Council's overall annual budget.

You could be from a voluntary group; organisation; school; Town / Parish Council or neighbourhood.

Some examples might be:

• Adopt an area of public open space which is currently the responsibility of the Council, or take over its maintenance. The Council in this instance could provide the equipment.
• Provide a range of activities for the young people in the community. The Council could possibly fund some equipment or provide a facility as a base.
• Assist in the running of an event with the possible longer term aim of taking it over. The Council could work alongside the community group and provide support and facilities.

Have YOU got an Idea?

If you have an idea, then why not share it with us? From the germ of an idea comes a project which together we might be able to develop. The key to a successful project is that it must deliver:

• Significant community benefits or
• Direct cost savings in the way an existing service is delivered

Even better if the project should deliver both!

Next Steps

1. We want to hear your idea and would ask that you give us a brief initial outline. Fill in our online form or download a copy that you can fill in and send back to us.

2. We will then let you know if you have been successful at this first stage and, if appropriate, ask you to develop a more detailed project plan as part of the second and final stage.

3. We will then assess the project to see that it is in line with the Council's objectives, is affordable, sustainable and whether it can help the Council to reduce its spending; following which you will be notified as to whether you have been successful.

Applications received

View all applications received and their progress (pdf document)

Further Information

For more details on the scheme and how it operates contact the Big Society via email to bigsociety@tendringdc.gov.uk or via the hotline on 01255 686350.

You may also be interested in a similar scheme run by Essex County Council. Visit www.essex.gov.uk/inspiringideas for more information.