Liverpool pulls out of 'Big Society' over cuts

The leader of Liverpool City Council has written to the Prime Minister, pulling his authority out of a pilot scheme for the Government's Big Society plans. Four areas had agreed to trial the scheme, aimed at giving community groups and volunteers more control over their local services.

But Labour council leader Joe Anderson told David Cameron that the Government's cuts had seriously undermined the ability of community organisations to improve the quality of life of residents. He wrote: "When we agreed to become a vanguard, your Government promised to work with us to remove some of the problems and blockages that were preventing us from successfully delivering our Big Society programme.

"I have to say, the Government has failed to deliver a single change that we have requested, which has severely hampered many parts of our programme."