Oxfordshire CC leader claims England's councillors, not Cabinet Office volunteers, should fill social entrepreneur void.
The leader of Oxfordshire CC has called on the Cabinet Office to abandon plans to recruit an army of Big Society volunteers and said England’s councillors should do the job instead.
Speaking today at the Local Government Association conference in Birmingham, Cllr Keith Mitchell said there were 20,000 elected members who could act instead as social entrepreneurs.
'The councillor's role is pivotal,' he told delegates and joked that local members should be 'Gandalfs' for their local community and identify hard to reach groups.
Cllr Mitchell said this could mean more councillors working across ward boundaries, particularly in two tier areas, and members needed to provide a mixture of leadership and advocacy.
Hull City Council's Liberal Democrat group leader, Cllr Abi Bell, said councillors were good at spotting opportunities.
'What councillors are great at is putting people together to achieve community goals,' she said.
