Have you ever wondered where the lottery money goes? Good causes, right? - Page 2

Margaret Pilkington · 07-04-2005, 20:45

The successful bids and the unsuccessful bids were published in the Daily Mail today.

I have never done the lottery in this country because I do not agree with the way the money is distributed.

Busman747 · 07-04-2005, 21:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

The successful bids and the unsuccessful bids were published in the Daily Mail today.

Yes,you are quite right Margaret (he answers in Willows absence) If you get a chance before Willow, perhaps you can enter a few of the "failures" list which will cerrtainly raise a few eyebrows if not blood pressure...

Busman747 · 07-04-2005, 22:51

I am not prone to "cut and paste" on most occasions but simply don't have the necessary speed to type this report from the Daily Mail without being up all night It is dated 03/07/03.......and it would be very interesting if it were possible to get a statement from Tessa Howell in the year '05 as to the success of her venture

03/07/03 - News section

Public get lottery spending say
by JO BUTLER, Daily Mail

A new system allowing the public to vote on how £1.5 billion of lottery money is handed out will be unveiled today.

Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell will announce sweeping changes in a bid to end the scandal over controversial grants to obscure projects.

Her National Lottery White Paper will reveal plans for citizens' panels to be set up to help decide how money is spent.

Miss Jowell says in a newspaper article today: "Why shouldn't the inhabitants of a town decide which they would rather have: a new facade for the town hall, tennis courts in the park or a new chemistry lab for the local school?"

The Government relaunch will also put an end to Camelot's monopoly, with the lottery licence being split into different games allowing other firms to sell tickets.

The Community Fund, the distributing body at the centre of the obscure payouts row, will be axed. (Our illustrious leader P. Britcliffe mentioned the Community fund only last week to pay for Dial-A-Bus)

Miss Jowell hopes the changes will "democratise" the lottery and put an end to charges that the public has felt "disconnected" from the game.

Writing in today's Daily Telegraph, Miss Jowell makes it clear that she wants people to know where the money is being spent, with grant-funded attractions bodies to hold free open days. (We will tell them on the Accyweb

)

And she is keen for more people to get involved in deciding where the money should go.

She writes: "I want (distributors) to work with their local television, radio and newspapers to put real choices to the public and ask them to decide."

The White Paper will also contain plans for "micro grants" of only £500 for smaller charities and a system for speeding up awards.

Lottery 'back to the people'

Miss Jowell will pledge that the plans will give "the lottery back to the people".

The Community Fund is to be merged with the New Opportunities Fund, as the Mail revealed earlier this year, and its work taken over by a new body. (Another quango...or two?)

This will be responsible for distributing more than half the £1.5 billion a year raised by the lottery, which the Government is to pledge will be spent on the people who buy most tickets.

Camelot's monopoly will come to an end with the new licences, expected to be handed out in 2009, covering the main draw and scratchcards as well as games played on the Internet or mobile phones.

Drop in sales

Camelot has suffered a drop in ticket sales, which have dipped over the past five years from £100 million a month to £80 million.

Other operators will hope to show that they can do better.

The relaunch will also see millions of pounds of lottery cash being poured into a new project to stop young people turning into hooligans.

An initial £200 million will be set aside for the Young Persons Fund, which is being set up in the wake of a number of scandals in which lottery funding has been given to asylum seekers and other contentious projects. (...and it still goes on....)

However, the plans are likely to provoke more rows about whether lottery cash is being used to fund work which should be paid for by central Government.

Miss Jowell will also outline new powers for the Government to seize control of any money stockpiled by the distributors.

More than £3.2 billion is waiting to be spent by the bodies, including the Sports Council, Arts Council, Heritage Lottery Fund and Community Fund.

nnnnnnnnnnnnnn- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This was yet another half baked promise by a politician that "can talk a good game" but can't play as they have forgotten to bring their plimsolls!

Slightly off topic (but maybe a thread for the future) Why is it that National papers make these reports....and don't follow them up by viewing the results (or non results)

grannyclaret · 07-04-2005, 22:54

POST 1......when i read things like this i swear i wont buy another ticket ,but then i do,,,richard branson was going to put all the money back into good causes not just a percentage,,,,it was ridiculas that camalot got the francise again ,i dont think anybody wanted it but someone in their wisdom decided branson wasent good enough ...................MAYBE THERES A BIT OF SHANANIGINS GOING ON

Busman747 · 07-04-2005, 22:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by grannyclaret

but someone in their wisdomdecided branson wasent good enough ...................

I think is is more that Richard Branson is too well liked by the public at large......Politicians hate to be outshone by mere mortals...

Busman747 · 07-04-2005, 23:19

Just a little anecdote......

A few years back while working for a coach firm in Beds, I had regular tours of 5 days or more taking local outdoors bowls teams to visit various areas on the east and south coast where they visited a different "bowls green" every day. In all, I would estimate that I have visited well over 40 different venues AND IN EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM is a plaque praising the lottery fund for its help in building a new club house/greens etc!

You do not have to be wealthy to be a member of a bowls club...but it certainly helps. The majority of people I met were certainly middle class (Ooh, can I say that now ) most were retired and generally, there was a sense of being snobbish amonst them!

It struck me then that these people all managed to get huge grants for their clubs but in the main, they could afford to support their club themselves without the help of the Lottery.

I have visited other sport venues such as Football/Rugby clubs that survive in decrepid buildings that manage without finance from the lottery despite their members not being wealthy retired bank managers or solicitors...

Something is wrong somewhere........

cashman · 07-04-2005, 23:22

mr wonderful branson certainly isn't,but for me he's a damn sight better than whats running it at the moment,and as for tessa jowell- well ( an i'm a socialist.)

garinda · 07-04-2005, 23:31

l for one have never bought a lottery ticket and have no intention of doing so.
The good causes clause was just written in to Camelots bid to run the lottery to ensure success in winning the contract.
We have a choice, if we don't like the daft things they give the money to don't buy a ticket.

We read of convicted rapists, drug dealers and young kids winning and we all want a share. To me the lottery is just a tax on the dissatisfied. How many of us have won a significant amount?

It's a game not a tax, we can choose not to fund any more stupid 'good causes.'

chav1 · 07-04-2005, 23:36

i play the irish lottery

over 400 quid for 3 numbers

WillowTheWhisp · 07-04-2005, 23:54

Anybody remember the Irish Hospitals Sweepstake? At least you knew what cause that money went to.

Am I right in thinking that The New Era on Paradise Street got a lottery grant?

I don't buy lottery tickets either and never will.

chav1 · 08-04-2005, 01:08

yes the new era did get a lottery grant

Neil · 08-04-2005, 07:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

£360,000 to campaigners for the legalisation of brothels.

I must protest about you mentioning this one Willow. I thought I spent that money wisely.

PurpleLass · 08-04-2005, 08:22

The problem with getting funding (and I've tried) is that it's all geared up for rejection. If you want a sum of money for something simple like new goalposts for a football club for example, you have to fill in so many forms to get them that you might as well just build them yourself. But if you want something huge, like £100,000 for something bizarre, they will help you fill your forms in so that you're more likely to meet their criteria. So a lot of actual good causes don't bother applying because it's too much trouble or too confusing or they don't think they'll be eligible when they would. This leaves even more money available for the weird ones.

PurpleLass · 08-04-2005, 08:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillowTheWhisp

Anybody remember the Irish Hospitals Sweepstake? At least you knew what cause that money went to.

Am I right in thinking that The New Era on Paradise Street got a lottery grant?

I don't buy lottery tickets either and never will.

The New Era did get a sizeable grant and I think it was worth it. What was once a run down dump now is a real community centre used by young and old alike.

Neil · 08-04-2005, 08:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Busman747

I think is is more that Richard Branson is too well liked by the public at large......Politicians hate to be outshone by mere mortals...

I think you probably hit the nail on the head with that statement my friend. I think he would run the lottery much better, lets face it he could not do worse.