Big Society in the North

A key theme of what has been coming out of Cumbria has been emphasis on the important role of Parish Councils as giving democratic legitimacy for local actions. This is probably only to be expected in a sparsely populated area like Eden. However, many of us think the Big Society approach is going to run into its biggest challenges in urban areas, most of which do not have Parish Councils. Indeed this has come as a surprise to some of the people I have spoken to about the Big Society, and it is nearly always the case that the structures that do exist in urban areas, such as Local Area Committees, are appointed rather than elected. There ARE a very few urban Parish Councils (some called Community Councils) in England (I believe they are much more common in Scotland), and legislation was passed in 1997 which allowed for any urban area to have such a body if they wished. They haven't really caught on as yet, however.

So, the question I am asking is do we need many more urban parish councils, or at least some kind of very local elected body, to make the Big Society happen? Would the existence of many more people with democratic mandates to improve their areas help or hinder Big Society initiatives?

I'm calling this Hyperlocal Democracy (unless you can think of a better term). And I'd welcome views on it.