The term ‘Big Society’ is not mentioned in either the Scottish Conservatives' or the Scottish Liberal Democrats' manifestos for the upcoming 2011 Scottish Parliament general election on 5 May.

Even Prime Minister David Cameron, who is spearheading the Big Society agenda, failed to mention it once in a speech to Scottish Conservative Party supporters in Inverness last week.

And a quick scan of five local Conservative Party manifestos for the upcoming local May elections in England found only one talked about the Big Society.

Conservatives in Reading East, South Gloucestershire, New Forest West and Woking do not mention the Big Society, while Trafford Conservative Party mentions it six times in its manifesto, devoting a whole section to the topic.

However, while ignoring the Big Society, the Scottish Conservatives' manifesto pays much attention to the voluntary sector, mirroring a lot of initiatives already happening in England.

Pledges for the sector include introducing a ‘right to bid’ policy for the voluntary sector, piloting social impact bonds and a review to tackle red tape hindering the private, public and voluntary sector.

The Scottish Liberal Democrats' manifesto also includes a number of pledges for the voluntary sector including a £250m early intervention fund, involving the voluntary sector earlier in prisons, and reducing barriers to transferring local authority assets to community and voluntary groups.

The Scottish SNP, currently holding power in Scotland, has said it will expand social and charity banking and micro-finance in Scotland, while Scottish Labour has promised to develop opportunities for investment in the voluntary sector.