Issue - meetings

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

Part A

1.           Approved the proposal of adopting a Community Lottery scheme to provide additional financial support to local organisations.

Part B

1.           Requested officers to approach Gatherwell to be the External Lottery Manager (ELM) to run the operational side of the lottery;

2.           Agreed the criteria for which good causes should participate in the lottery, as detailed in sections 6 to 9;

3.           Agreed the set-up costs of £5,200; and

4.           Authorised the Chief Executive to agree named licence holders and to approve the appropriate policies and procedures.

5.           Agreed that a report be presented to Housing and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Panel after 1 year for an update and a review of the scheme.

KEY DECISION:

Yes

PORTFOLIO:

Community, Safety and Wellbeing

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED/REJECTED:

As set out in the report.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST:

None

DISCUSSION:

The Portfolio Holder for Community, Safety and Wellbeing reported he was aware that the subject had had mixed responses within Cabinet, however he was delighted to see the report seeking approval of a community lottery scheme.  There had been detailed discussions at a Member Task and Finish Group and at Scrutiny Panel enabling questions and concerns to be raised and addressed by officers and the proposal had been supported.   The lottery scheme would give people a choice of good causes to support in the District in a fun and responsible way.  It would generate additional funding to local groups when funding streams were difficult to sustain.

The Service Manager Revenues, Benefits and Customer Service highlighted the report provided an overview of how the lottery scheme would operate and that safeguards would be in place to ensure it was managed responsibly.  Officers would work with an experienced External Lottery Manager, who was responsible for over 120 local authority community lottery schemes.  These authorities had spoken positively about their lottery scheme and the benefits it brought.  The scheme would enable income to be raised to support local community organisations in a sustainable way in the long term.  If approval was granted, officers would work as quickly as possible to arrange implementation of the scheme.

A number of non-Cabinet members expressed their support to the scheme.  A concern was raised regarding the possible saturation of the lottery market, and it was noted that a review was proposed to be carried out a year after operation.  A question was also asked about the possible impact of devolution, given the time involved in setting up the scheme.  In response, the Service Manager Revenues, Benefits and Customer services, recognised that work would be required to set it up, however once the lottery was in operation, it would require minimal officer input.  It was reported to be a longer term legacy to support local groups.  It was known that other authorities had gone through devolution and the lottery schemes had continued.