PM defends 'big society'

David Cameron today defended his 'big society' initiative, following a week of criticism.

The prime minister said it was his "mission in politics" to fix Britain's broken society, with the 'big society' functioning as the solution to years of big government.

The 'big society' agenda is designed to give voluntary and charity groups more power to run local services, but critics have described it as a cover for the government's spending cuts.

The project came under fire after Liverpool City Council pulled out of a pilot scheme and Dame Elisabeth Hoodless, outgoing head of the Community Service Volunteers, criticised the implementation of the scheme.

The prime minister is expected to announce a series of initiatives this week to reinforce his commitment to the project, including programmes to increase the number of community organisers and the creation of a 'big society' bank.