Public to have a greater say on Lottery funding

Changes to the way the National Lottery is run will result in the public having more of a say in where the money goes.

Culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, said: "It is hard to imagine what Britain would be like without the Lottery’s influence – No Eden Project or Baltic Mill or Angel of the North and little opportunity for thousands of voluntary and community groups to realise their ambitions."

However, she added that public support for the Lottery needs to be widened and announced a number of changes to the way it operates.

These include creating a common logo for recipients to display so that people are aware who has benefited, the introduction of local referendums where communities can be consulted on funding decisions and the creation of a Young People’s Fund – initially worth £200m – to concentrate on distributing money to children’s groups and young people.

There will also be a quicker and easier procedure for awards of less than £500 and the setting up of a National Lottery Day where organisations which have received funding can open their doors to visitors for free to show people what they do.

Jowell continued: "There are so many other outlets for people’s marginal income that we can’t ever stop the fight to explain to the public how the Lottery works, to ask the public what it wants the money spent on and to make sure it’s spent wisely."

Ian Wilkie, head of Hospitality, Leisure and Gaming at Ernst & Young, said: "In spite of several hiccups the lottery has been hugely successful in its eight year life span. Now it needs modernising in response to changing leisure spending patterns and we think these proposals should be welcomed." Details: www.culture.gov.uk