We do not know if voluntarist and localised bodies can realistically compete with the financial might of multi-national private firms and existing public agencies

In recent years British Conservatism has sought to elaborate its own understanding of social justice as part of a broader project to ‘de-toxify’ its public image. Ben Williams argues that this has had important ramifications for the Conservative social policy agenda, leading to a spirited attempt to revive the values of voluntarism and its functionality as an alternative source of public service provision to the formerly hegemonic and centralised state.