Does the 'Big Society' mean reduction of funding? The devolution of decision making-power from central government and the regions to local government? An expectation that the voluntary and private sectors will pick up responsibility for provision of services while local government and other authorities monitor and regulate them? Or does it mean something more creative and dynamic with opportunities for new partnerships, less red tape and more weight given to local and democratic perspectives on what is needed and how it should be provided? Who will gain and who will lose out? How will we ensure that the most vulnerable don't slip through the net? How can human resources, community goodwill and social enterprise make up for a marked decrease in funding?
If you have been wrestling with these questions or if you are interested in how the current social and economic changes will impinge on church and community life, why not come along to this day which has been arranged by our buildings officer, Alice Ullathorne. All these questions inevitably have big consequences for how we use our buildings and in fact the current changes in the provision of social services probably mean that the next few years will see some of the greatest opportunities for churches to get involved in their communities in new ways that have been seen over the last half century or so. Thank you, Alice, for your work on this. Alice also has a must-visit blog for those who are involved in the maintenance of church buildings, development projects, or conservation and funding projects for buildings.
You can contact her to book a place on alice.ullathorne@ropnleeds-diocese.org.uk or go to her excellent and informative blog http://church-community-building.blogspot.com/
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