U.K. Leader Touts Big Society ‘Mission’ Amid Growing Skepticism

Calling his “Big Society” proposal “my mission in politics,” the British Prime Minister David Cameron sought Monday to resuscitate his faltering signature plan to boost volunteerism and shift social-service provision to charities and community groups, Reuters and The Guardian write.

“I’m not going to back down from what I believe in just because of a few bad headlines,” the prime minister said at an event in London, referring to widely reported criticism by charity leaders that the government’s deep spending cuts will undercut nonprofit organizations and by politicians, including some in Mr. Cameron’s Conservative Party, who say that the public has not bought into the concept.

The government also unveiled plans Monday to encourage British citizens to put money into social investments, including proposed Big Society savings accounts, and to train 5,000 community organizers.

Charity executives are stepping up their call for the U.K. government to adopt new tax breaks for philanthropy, according to the Financial Times.

Living wills that would let donors claim tax relief on bequests before they die and simplification of the existing gift-aid program are among proposals made by National Council of Voluntary Organisations, the country’s leading umbrella group for charities.