DAVID Cameron's civil society minister has visited Worcester to help promote a Government 'grass-roots' style project.

Robert Wilson, an up-and-coming Tory MP who represents Reading East, is calling upon counties like Worcestershire to tap into the Whitehall-led 'Social Impact Bond'.

The bond is worth £80 million this year and allows the likes of councils to bid for cash grants to offer services which are deemed to help society.

It works in a "pay by results" way, so local authorities need to set out what they aim to achieve from it at the outset, and are then funded on that specific basis.

Amid a time of severe cuts in local government funding, ministers say it will help provide better value for public money.

Mr Wilson's trip to Worcester included talks with the city-based branch of the National Citizen Service (NCS), which encourages teenagers aged 16 and 17 to take up volunteering.

He also went to the Deaf Direct offices in Vesta Tilley House, Lowesmoor to talk to staff there about the Social Impact Bonds and how to take advantage of them.

"It's a scheme where the Government will put money up via 'social bonds' so we pay for what works, basically," he said.

"In some areas of the country, say London for example a service provider could say 'we want to start this project to take 300 homeless people off the streets and get them into work', it's that specific target which is funded.

"The Government will effectively pay to achieve that and the taxpayer is therefore funding what works.

"In the past money might have been used whether something works or not."

He also said he was impressed with some of the volunteer-led initiatives and community spirit on display in Worcester.

"I saw a lot of encouraging things and the young people involved with the National Citizen Service in Worcester are brilliant," he said.

He was accompanied during his visit by Worcester MP Robin Walker, who said the aim was to give the minister an insight into the city.

"We met some brilliant people from the NCS, it was very good," said Mr Walker.

Mr Wilson's ministerial work includes oversight of charities, volunteering, social enterprise and the 'Big Society' agenda which has often been criticised in recent years.

He was first elected in 2005 and joined the ministerial ranks in 2014.