'Good citizens' may get tax rebate

Council tax rebates and help with university fees could be offered in return for volunteer work in an attempt to encourage good citizenship under plans being considered by the Government.
# Lord Goldsmith's main proposals
# In full: Lord Goldsmith's report on citizenship
# Three Line Whip: Make Trafalgar Day a National Day

A report to the Prime Minister proposed offering a "small" council tax return to those who help out in their local neighbourhood by organising recycling projects, helping children to learn to read in schools or setting up a residents' association.

The Queen on a walkabout during her Golden Jubilee in 2002

Youngsters volunteering for community work before university would get help paying off their tuition fees.

Lord Goldsmith, the former attorney general, who set out the ideas in a wide-ranging review of British nationality and citizenship, said the sum would need to be ''sufficient to encourage people to participate".

As part of the citizenship review he also recommended that school leavers take part in "coming of age ceremonies" at which they would swear allegiance to the Queen "to mark the passage between being a student of citizenship and an active citizen".

The proposals were greeted with derision on Tuesday night and branded "half-baked" and "inappropriate".

John Dunford, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: "This is a half-baked idea, which should be allowed quietly to go mouldy."

He added: ''Schools will reject it as an un-British idea imported from America, which does not fit into their ethos or culture."

Lord Goldsmith's 130-page report, "Citizenship: Our Common Bond", calls for a National Day to be established, preferably in the autumn when there are no bank holidays.

It would be introduced in 2012 to coincide with the London Olympics and the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and be modelled on Australia Day, when citizens affirm their loyalty and celebrate the country's successes.

There were signs that an idea intended to bring the country together could exacerbate tensions within Britain, as the Scottish Executive said the proposal would not be accepted north of the border.

Nigel Don, a Nationalist MSP, said the idea was "uncharacteristic of Scottish society" where the general feeling was of loyalty to each other.

Ieuan Wyn Jones, the Welsh Deputy First Minister and leader of Plaid Cymru, said: ''I don't think this is appropriate."
# Daniel Hannan: Labour's oaths and flags do not a nation make
# Your View: How would you celebrate 'Britishness Day'?
# Three Line Whip: What next, a minister for Britishness?

Lord Goldsmith conceded there was no crisis of identity in Britain but said it had become more "divided" in recent years and it was important to restore a sense of belonging.

Other proposals include a review of "archaic" treason laws and fast-track citizenship for immigrants working in public services such as the NHS.

Foreign nationals resident in Britain for a lengthy period would be put under pressure to take up citizenship, or lose access to some entitlements.

Commonwealth and Irish citizens would lose the right to vote in British general elections - including 6,000 soldiers currently serving in the British Army.

The paper also recommends lifting the ban on asylum seekers taking paid jobs; cutting the £655 citizenship fee for foreign applicants and creating a National Citizens' Corps to offer advice to others on citizenship.

The report also suggests a "Deliberation Day" to be held on the Saturday before each General Election to encourage political debate, and encouraging companies to let staff take time off to volunteer.

However, Lord Goldsmith dropped earlier suggestions to overhaul the National Anthem by removing verses deemed "inappropriate" by some.

He also ruled out the possibility of compulsory civic service for young people or mandatory voting in elections for all adults.

Mr Brown has been keen to push a Britishness agenda in the face of concerns over the impact of devolution on the Union and the influence of Scottish politicians in senior Government positions.

His spokesman said: "The Prime Minister thinks this is a good issue to have a debate about. He has said we need to do more to entrench the notion of Britishness in society."

But Nigel Farage, the leader of UKIP, said: "It is ironic that at the precise moment the Government are signing us up to a new EU legal order which leaves us powerless, they decide they want to champion Britishness."

Nick Clegg, the Liberal Democrat leader, said: "People should not feel that being British is about swearing allegiance, it should be about taking an active role in society."


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/